New details emerge on ten Hag's sacking: just how bad did things get

The dismissal of Erik ten Hag at Bayer Leverkusen caused a stir on Monday. After only three competitive matches, it was already over for the Dutchman—even though he had only succeeded Xabi Alonso in the summer. But why did the split happen so quickly?

There are now further reports about the possible reasons for his departure. The 'Kölner Stadtanzeiger' writes of a "rapid loss of trust." This reportedly began as early as July, during the training camp in Brazil.

Ten Hag's work apparently raised doubts early on. A lack of quality in training and a lack of emotion during team building reportedly left Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes shaking their heads. The mistrust apparently grew week by week. In addition, ten Hag was said to be resistant to advice—which matches information from 'kicker'. According to this, the 55-year-old's demeanor was too dominant and not cooperative enough.

He also failed to impress on the sporting side. According to 'Sportbild', there was a lack of a clear playing philosophy. The players supposedly often did not know what they were supposed to do on the pitch—and puzzled over their coach's methods.

There was also criticism of the training content. Push-ups in training apparently had about the same importance as practicing running and passing patterns. On Tuesday, ten Hag's previous assistant coaches Andries Ulderink and Rogier Meijer finally took charge of the session. As reported by the 'Kölner Stadtanzeiger', one player tellingly commented afterwards that it was the best training session of the season so far.

But the problems went beyond the pitch. There were also issues in the dressing room. Ten Hag's speech before the first Bundesliga match against TSG Hoffenheim, for example, reportedly caused confusion. He is said not to have delivered an inspiring address. According to the 'Kölner Stadtanzeiger', ten Hag in turn was surprised by the silence in the dressing room after his speech.

His public demands for transfers also caused additional tension, as reported by 'kicker'. The Dutchman apparently was not part of the closest circle of confidants and decision-makers. The coach seemingly did not want to accept this and, contrary to the original agreement, involved himself in squad planning. He brought up players from the agency SEG, with which he is connected, as potential signings for Leverkusen.

At the same time, he was sometimes only informed about transfer decisions after everything had already been decided. He also reportedly opposed the sale of Granit Xhaka—but in vain.

For Bayer Leverkusen , the task is now to quickly find a successor. After the international break, not only Bundesliga matches await, but also the Champions League.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Christof Koepsel - 2025 Getty Images