Leverkusen hires former Denmark coach Hjulmand to replace fired ten Hag

Former Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand was hired Monday to lead Bayer Leverkusen as a replacement for Erik ten Hag following the Dutchman's abrupt firing last week.

Hjulmand has been out of work since leaving the Danish national team following its last-16 exit at the European Championship in 2024, after four years in charge.

It will be Hjulmand's second stint in the Bundesliga, after less than a year with Mainz in the 2014-15 season.

“I have always seen Bayer 04 as a very well-managed, well-structured and highly ambitious club," the 53-year-old Hjulmand said. “This impression has been confirmed in recent days. It’s an honor to be entrusted with a team like this.”

Leverkusen, which won the Bundesliga in the 2023-24 season after going the entire domestic campaign undefeated, needed a new coach after getting rid of Ten Hag, who had just three games in charge after succeeding Xabi Alonso.

A tough start

Hjulmand has signed a contract through the end of the 2026-27 season and faces a tricky debut at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday before a return to Denmark to face Copenhagen in the Champions League on Sept. 18.

He hasn't coached in the Champions League since the 2012-13 season with Nordsjaelland, where he'd won the Danish title. Nordsjaelland had one draw and five losses in that campaign and was defeated in Champions League qualification the following season.

Ten Hag's departure

The former Manchester United manager was tasked with rebuilding Leverkusen after an exodus of key players, including Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka and Jeremie Frimpong, since Alonso’s departure for Real Madrid at the end of last season.

However, chaos soon engulfed the club, with Ten Hag questioning club decisions in the transfer market and collecting just one point from Leverkusen's first two Bundesliga games — a home defeat to Hoffenheim before squandering a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with 10-man Werder Bremen.

That draw saw players ignore Ten Hag's instructions and argue among themselves on the field over who would take a penalty.

Hjulmand's leadership

Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro commended Hjulmand's “transparent, communicative and empathetic style,” saying: “A newly assembled team like ours, which is capable of development, needs clear guidelines.”

Hjulmand comes recommended by a key member of Alonso's staff. Fitness coach Ismael Camenforte worked for Hjulmand with Denmark and at Leverkusen until leaving for Madrid with Alonso.

Hjulmand's empathy and leadership qualities were especially on show at the European Championship in 2021, when Denmark captain Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field after suffering cardiac arrest during the team's first game against Finland.

Hjulmand was widely lauded for the way he dealt with the emotional aftermath of Eriksen's collapse and subsequent recovery and led the Danes to the semifinals, where they lost to England.

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AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth in Duesseldorf, Germany, contributed to this report.

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