Bayer Leverkusen have named former Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand as their new head coach on a deal running until 2027, the club confirmed in an official statement issued on Monday.
Hjulmand replaces Erik ten Hag, who was dismissed just two games into the Bundesliga season.
The Dutchman, hired on September 1 to succeed Xabi Alonso, collected only one point from his opening fixtures.
“It is an honour to be entrusted with such a team,” Hjulmand said in a statement. “I’m motivated to shape the future of the club.”
Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes admitted appointing Ten Hag had been a mistake but insisted dismissing him swiftly was “the lesser of two evils.”
The move ends a turbulent fortnight for the German champions, who lifted their first-ever Bundesliga title and a domestic double under Alonso last season before his departure to Real Madrid.
Ten Hag hit back following his dismissal, describing it as “unprecedented” and “a complete surprise,” saying he had not been given the chance to implement his ideas.
Hjulmand, 53, arrives with a strong international reputation, having led Denmark to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 and the last 16 of Euro 2024 before stepping down in July.
He previously won the Danish Superliga with Nordsjaelland in 2012, the club’s first and only title, and had a short stint in the Bundesliga with Mainz in 2014-15.
“His philosophy is clear — a dominant, attacking style of play with high intensity,” Rolfes said of the new coach. “We believe Kasper is the right man to help us achieve ambitious national and international goals.”
Hjulmand will make his debut in the dugout on Friday when Leverkusen host Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
The following week, he will lead the champions into their Champions League opener against Danish titleholders FC Copenhagen — a symbolic return to his homeland as he begins a new chapter in his managerial career.
