Bayer Leverkusen intends to continue standing up to FC Bayern in the future. Managing Director Fernando Carro makes no secret of the club’s ambitions. While the 62-year-old still views the Munich team as the benchmark, he believes the Bundesliga would benefit from more variety and excitement in the title race.
After a disappointing season in which Leverkusen finished in 6th place, the Werkself is once again facing a major shakeup. After Alonso’s successor, Erik ten Hag, was let go after just a few weeks, the club also parted ways with his successor, Kasper Hjulmand, at the end of the season.
Replacing the Dutchman on the Leverkusen bench next season will be Spaniard Carles Martinez Novell. The 42-year-old comes from FC Toulouse and is expected to restore the Werkself to the ranks of serious championship contenders in the long term.
“I’ve always said 2028 or 2029. But I wouldn’t mind if it happened as early as 2027,” said Fernando Carro in an interview with the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and the Kölnische Rundschau.
Bayern remains the clear favorite
For Carro, however, it’s clear that Bayern will once again enter the upcoming season as the favorite to win the championship, and he knows that a lot of things will have to fall into place to challenge the German record champions.
“It’s still a bit early for that assessment. Bayern is very good. To seriously challenge them, a lot of things have to fall into place. We’re in the process of strategically strengthening our roster while also building a team in which everyone accepts their role, even if they don’t get much playing time,” Carro said, looking ahead to the upcoming season.
“We want to win titles”
Under new head coach Carles Martinez Novell, Carro’s initial goal is to “get back to our usual level.”
“We want to consistently be among the top four teams in Germany and the top 16 in Europe. Based on the club coefficient, we’re actually ninth in Europe right now. And we want to win titles—whether in the DFB Cup, the league, the Europa League, or the Champions League,” added the 62-year-old.
For Carro, one thing is certain: The Bundesliga needs more variety. That’s why the Leverkusen boss is also calling on the other teams chasing Bayern to step up: “I actually always want to go on the attack—but that should apply to others as well, because the Bundesliga urgently needs more variety at the top.”