Coach change at Bayer Leverkusen: Hjulmand leaves, Martínez comes

“We have looked intensively at the question of which coach is best suited to the next development phase of Bayer 04,” said sports director Simon Rolfes on Thursday: “Carles Martínez has successfully developed numerous young players in Toulouse and shaped an international team into a strong unit.”

Martínez receives a two-year contract in Leverkusen. He led Toulouse to ninth place in the French Ligue 1 last season and won the cup with the club in 2023, then as an assistant coach. “Carles is a coach with clear principles and a modern game idea,” said Rolfes: “We are convinced that he can provide the right impulses for our sporting future.” Before his time as a professional coach, Martínez coached youth teams at FC Barcelona. His contract in France expired at the end of the season.

The signing of the Spaniard is the end of a weeks-long search for Bayer. It was already apparent during the current season that Hjulmand would have to leave the club. The 54-year-old took over Leverkusen from Xabi Alonso’s hapless successor Erik ten Hag in the summer of 2025 after the second matchday and stabilized the team with a strong first half of the season. However, the second half of the season was disappointing and Bayer missed qualifying for the Champions League again.

At the end of May, Leverkusen seemed to be about to reach an agreement with Spaniard Andoni Iraola, who was courted by many clubs and is leaving AFC Bournemouth after a strong season in the Premier League. Iraola is now apparently about to move to Liverpool FC. The Brazilian Filipe Luis, in whom Bayer also showed interest, agreed to AS Monaco. Oliver Glasner, who recently won the Conference League with Crystal Palace, was also temporarily considered a coaching candidate in Leverkusen.