January 2025 Transfer Primer: Bayer 04 Leverkusen | OneFootball

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Estimated Autumn Transfer Balance = -€21.9 million

As German football watchers search for answers to Leverkusen's slow start to the season, a lot of talk revolves around the decision to send Odilon Kossounou out on loan near the end of the Summer transfer window. This choice, the argument goes, forced Edmond Tapsoba over to the right-hand side of the back-three and destabilized the defensive line to a certain extent. As someone who employed this talking point himself, the author will be the first to admit that this line-of-reasoning is overblown. Tapsoba proved himself on the right plenty of times, even if the left remains his stronger suit.

One can tell that we're reaching. Leverkusen's league and European failures earlier in the year require an explanation of some sort, beyond the eminently unsatisfying (not to mention banal) reasoning that replicating success is difficult. Whatever reason one wishes to ascribe to the stutters, it's all essentially a moot point now. The way in which the defending league and cup champs stormed through their final nine fixtures of the calendar year renders them title contenders yet again. The final league victory against Freiburg left zero doubt about this assessment.

Apart from Kossounou, Germany's red company team didn't lose anyone of real consequence this offseason. Simon Rolfes and the B04 front office even hung onto Jeremie Frimpong despite rumors that they wanted to raise capital by selling at least one player. Martin Terrier and Aleix Garcia count as valuable additions, with the latter making important contributions across all three competitions. One also mustn't forget that Xabi Alonso successfully navigated his way through plenty of bad injury luck over the course of the latest nine-match unbeaten-run.

With "die Werkself" now four points behind Bayern in the league table two rounds short of the season's midpoint, the real debate now shifts to their title-prospects. In all candor, there appears no reason to chalk them off. Xabi presides over an even better roster than last year. Apart from Amine Adli - likely out through February with a broken fibula - all players are expected to partake in early January training camp. Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface return. The options are there.

Dead-Weight Ledger = Jeanuël Belocian (CB), Sadik Fofana (CB), Arthur (RB), Francis Onyeka (ATTM), Artem Stepanov (LS)

Fairly straightforward stuff here as Rolfes and colleagues simply have some future prospects to park elsewhere should they so desire. A club with Leverkusen's financial backing doesn't need to concern itself with payroll. Accordingly, the negative transfer balance from last Summer remains mostly immaterial. All of these players can also be "parked" with the reserves, accruing less valuable playing practice whilst still remaining options for the European roster. Reliable sources confirm that 18-year-old Argentine attacking talent Alejo Sarko is on the way. He may immediately be loaned out.

Expiring contracts =  Jonathan Tah (CB), Matija Marsenic (CM)

At this point, anyone covering German football has maxed out of the number of Jonathan Tah outgoing transfer rumors any reasonable human being can stand. The 28-year-old's maturation and redemption arc always made for a great story...some 19 months ago. Since April 2023, it seems as if we've done absolutely nothing apart from discuss his future. This despite the fact that he's impressively been able to keep up his form for club and country. Thank goodness an end to this saga is in sight.

Further Needs =  CB, RB, RM, ATTM

An extra central defender serves as the top priority. Plenty of rumor mills suggest Leverkusen look to the very same club they once plucked Robert Andrich from. Union Berlin's Diogo Leite truly constitutes a great match. The former Portuguese youth international would also solve the problem of who shall replace Tah next season. The eventual sale of Frimpong continues to clog rumors mills, meaning the club will be in the market for a replacement capable of serving as a flanker, wingback, and fullback.

Rayo Vallecano's Andrei Rațiu, Real's Arda Güler, and even Barça's Ferran Tores are potential candidates. Rolfes and former club chief Rudi Völler slowly and systematically built this championship caliber team over the course of years with the mega millions they once pocketed from Kai Havertz's sale. Schick and Frimpong arrived in the two 2020/21 windows. Kossounou, Adli, Andrich, and Piero Hincapie came a year later. Hofmann, Boniface, Granit Xhaka, and Nathan Tella came two years after that.

A company club such as this one can do pretty much what it wants. Build for the future or make a big splash in pursuit of a second consecutive title? Maybe a mixture of both? This commentator will bet on a conservative window with a few buys aimed at further down the road. This makes the most sense in the context of the uncertainty over Florian Wirtz's future. Beyond another addition to central defense, there exists no clear manner in which a "title shot" can be bought. It's safer to roll with what Xabi has.

Rumored Links = Diogo Leite (CB), Axel Disasi (CB), Issa Traoré (CB), Sverre Nypan (CM), Ferran Torres (RW), Arda Güler (RW), Reiss Nelson (RW) Rayan Cherki (ATTM)