On August 28, Bayer Leverkusen signed new player Lucas Vázquez (34). This deal should have been communicated to the head coach long ago, but... in fact, Ten Hag had no idea about the signing of this five-time Champions League winner at all.
He was not involved in the signing of the player who was supposed to be Leverkusen's new dressing room leader; instead, Sporting Director Simon Rolfes (43) outlined the player's role in the team via a video call, and Vázquez provided a detailed explanation during the briefing.
On August 28, Ten Hag spoke to Vázquez for the first time—two days after the two parties reached an agreement, with the medical examination conducted in Madrid the night before and a two-year contract signed.
Whether Leverkusen's management excluded him due to a lack of trust in his character or his coaching work, Ten Hag must have realized at that time that he had no future at Leverkusen.
In fact, it is rare for this Dutchman to quickly alienate all departments, the team, and the players.
Unlike Xabi Alonso, Bild can reveal that Ten Hag was soon excluded from Leverkusen's innermost circle. He was also told that there was no turning back.
His continuous public demands for new signings, coupled with the impact of the Granit Xhaka incident—Ten Hag publicly vetoed the internally agreed decision to sell the Swiss player—confirmed all the warnings from within the industry.
His relationships within the team were also in shambles. He failed to communicate with anyone: coaches, physiotherapists, team doctors, nutritionists, team organizers, and even his own new coaching staff.
This was precisely the time when people expected this experienced coach to act as a unifying force. But he did not. He lacked leadership and a clear direction.
He never became a leader in the professional field of the pitch like his predecessor. Before the season's opening match against Hoffenheim, Ten Hag even failed to deliver an inspiring speech to the players and staff before they took the field, which surprised everyone.
The former Manchester United manager was unable to convey any ideas to the new Leverkusen team. No one knew what to do—even when they were leading Werder Bremen 3-1. There were only individual actions, but no game plan.
In the dressing room, people were puzzled: push-ups in training seemed to be as important as running and passing routes—and this was not just in the first few days of training sessions, where players who lost practice matches did them to entertain themselves during unusually long training sessions.
Ten Hag's contract was valid until 2027, and his severance pay was stipulated in the contract. Bild can reveal that Ten Hag will receive nearly 5 million euros in compensation after being sacked quickly. This includes his two months' salary; his total salary for 60 days (from July 1 to August 31) is approximately 1 million euros.
This amounts to around 100,000 euros per day, along with just one point (in the league). It was a costly misunderstanding.
