Bayer Leverkusen Coaching Changes: Glasner and Iraola in Focus

Bayer Leverkusen thought they had their man. Filipe Luis, the architect of Flamengo’s recent dominance, sat at the top of their list. Eight trophies in three years had turned the Brazilian club into a machine, and Leverkusen’s sporting hierarchy – Simon Rolfes and Fernando Carro – wanted that winning habit exported to the Rhine.

They pushed. He chose to stay on his own path. That door is shut.

So the club turns back to what insiders have been calling “Options B and C” – and they are hardly consolation prizes.

Glasner’s stock soars again

Oliver Glasner’s timing could hardly be sharper. On Wednesday, in what doubled as a farewell to Crystal Palace, the Austrian lifted another European trophy. Two years after his stunning Europa League triumph with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022, he guided Palace to a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final.

Another European night, another medal, another reminder of his ability to build compact, fearless teams for knockout football.

Glasner has already decided not to extend his deal at Selhurst Park and will be free from 1 July. So will Andoni Iraola at AFC Bournemouth, who has also opted against a new contract. Both names have long been on Leverkusen’s radar; now, with Filipe Luis off the table, they move into the foreground.

The profile fits. Glasner brings structure and European pedigree. Iraola offers intensity, a clear pressing identity and a reputation for squeezing more from less. Leverkusen, after a season that never truly caught fire, are looking for exactly that kind of jolt.

Hjulmand steadied the ship – but not enough

Officially, nothing has changed yet. There is no club statement, no farewell video, no carefully worded press release. Unofficially, the writing has been on the wall for Kasper Hjulmand for weeks.

The 54-year-old Dane arrived shortly after the campaign had begun, parachuted in after Erik ten Hag’s relationship with the club imploded at speed – friction with the sporting management, tension with parts of the coaching staff, and a squad that stopped buying in. Hjulmand’s first task was simple: stop the slide.

He did that. The team stabilised. The chaos faded. Results improved just enough to avoid a full-blown crisis.

But “just enough” is not the standard at Leverkusen.

They missed out on Champions League qualification. They fell in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals to Bayern. Arsenal knocked them out in the last 16 of the Champions League. The Bundesliga season ended in sixth place – respectable on paper, underwhelming in context.

Crucially, the performances rarely convinced. The football felt laboured, short on spark and short on identity. Several expensive signings never came close to justifying their transfer fees, leaving the squad looking heavy rather than hungry.

In that light, Hjulmand’s contract until 2027 has become a formality rather than a shield. The expectation around the club is clear: a parting of ways this summer and a fresh start under a new head coach.

A new cycle in Leverkusen – and in Monaco

Leverkusen are not alone in hitting the reset button.

AS Monaco are also preparing for change after barely half a season with Sebastien Pocognoli. He took charge in October, tasked with steering a talented but inconsistent side back into Europe. For a while, it looked within reach.

Then came the run-in. Back-to-back defeats to Lille and Strasbourg, right when the pressure spiked, dragged Monaco out of the European places. The cost is heavy. So is the conclusion: the club is set to move on from Pocognoli after just over six months.

Two ambitious clubs, two benches about to be vacated, and a coaching market suddenly bristling with opportunity.

For Leverkusen, the question is sharp and immediate. With Filipe Luis out of the picture and “Options B and C” back in play, do they bet on Glasner’s proven European know-how or Iraola’s high-octane vision – and who do they trust to turn an underperforming, expensive squad into a side that looks and plays like a contender again?