What a tragedy! After just two rounds in charge, Ten Hag has been dismissed, becoming Bayer Leverkusen's “summer worker.”

Written by Han Bing His contract began on July 1, and by September 1 he was already “speedily” dismissed—just 62 days later, Ten Hag, Bayer Leverkusen’s “summer worker” coach, made Bundesliga history as the quickest coach to be sacked before the new season, and was also the first to lose his job in the top five leagues this season. What’s even more baffling is that the club’s management didn’t act on a whim; they quietly initiated the replacement plan right after the 1-2 loss to Hoffenheim on August 23 in their opening match.

As early as August 27, Kicker exclusively revealed that Leverkusen’s management had reached a critical level of doubt about Ten Hag. If they failed to win against Bremen on August 30, Ten Hag would be immediately dismissed. The Dutch coach was truly unlucky; despite leading 3-1 with an extra player at the 64th minute, the team still got equalized. The next day, Leverkusen’s executives held an emergency meeting, and by September 1 even renowned transfer expert Romano announced Ten Hag’s fate in advance.

Looking back at the May 27 signing press conference, sporting director Rolfes’ comments highlight football’s harshness. At that time, Rolfes emphasized that Ten Hag could lead the team to play “dominant, exciting, and technically excellent football,” not only developing young players but also winning trophies: “Ten Hag proved this at Ajax and Manchester United.” Three months later, his assessment reversed 180°: “The past few weeks have shown that the current goals cannot be met, and it’s impossible to build a new successful team.”

Actually, the rapid hiring and firing of Ten Hag at Leverkusen had signs three months ago. Ten Hag was only the club’s “Plan B” for coach selection; their first choice was Fabregas to continue Alonso’s Spanish-style football, but after being rejected, they chose Ten Hag. Over the next two months, disagreements grew between Leverkusen’s management and Ten Hag regarding transfers, tactics, results, and management, eventually leading to a swift breakdown. After dismissal, Ten Hag’s agency stated, “There was never a foundation of mutual trust between us,” confirming this rift.

Leverkusen’s executives directly blamed Ten Hag for lacking a clear tactical plan, with the pressing style that once brought success almost disappearing. Training quality, pre-match preparation, and tactical adjustments were all inadequate. However, striker Schick previously told the media that training intensity was higher than under Alonso, contradicting management’s accusations. Regarding the internal conflict over penalty takers against Bremen, it was later confirmed that the order was already decided; it was players vying for glory, not Ten Hag’s fault. In fact, Leverkusen’s poor performance largely stems from management breaking promises by not providing Ten Hag with enough strong reinforcements to build a powerful squad.

On July 7, when Ten Hag held his first training, key players Wirtz, Frimpong, and Jonathan Tah had already left, and the new signings were considerably weaker than those who departed. American attacker Tillman came from the Dutch Eredivisie, goalkeeper Früchtl from Premier League’s weaker Brentford, center-back Wanssa was only a backup at Liverpool, midfielder Mazah and striker Koffane came from Germany’s second division and Spain’s second division respectively, and center-back Tapé even came from PSG’s youth team.

By late July, Ten Hag declared no more sales, emphasizing captain Xhaka as a cornerstone for rebuilding. Yet soon after, Xhaka was sold to Sunderland. In early August, Ten Hag repeatedly requested more new signings, but key goalkeeper Hradecky and winger Adli left one after another. It wasn’t until two days before the Bundesliga season started that Sevilla center-back Badé, Eredivisie winger Baku, and Manchester City bench midfielder Echeverri joined, leaving Ten Hag insufficient time to integrate the lineup.

Seeing the unsatisfactory transfers, before the Bundesliga opener Ten Hag resorted to his famous Manchester United phrase “I’m not Harry Potter” to nudge the club for stronger reinforcements. But from trying to keep Xhaka to the Harry Potter remark, Ten Hag was seen as openly opposing the management. By late August, when Spanish veteran Vasquez and Moroccan winger Bensebaini joined, the club’s trust in him had already been exhausted. Ironically, after Ten Hag’s dismissal, the club continued selling players to raise funds, with Kapié and Boniface also set to leave. Since management prioritizes profit above all, blaming the coach entirely for failure seems unfair given the weakened and uncoordinated squad.

Leverkusen’s management’s misconduct extends further: even before Ten Hag’s do-or-die match last Saturday, they had already started talks with former Dortmund coach Terzic. Yet, even with Terzic’s rich Bundesliga experience, shaping a nearly rebuilt team quickly remains a huge challenge. As Ten Hag stated in his farewell message, “Building a brand-new, cohesive team is a process that requires careful handling, time, and trust. A new coach should have enough space to implement his philosophy, set standards, shape the squad, and embed his tactical style.” The team’s formation period was set for March next year, but Ten Hag won’t wait that long—will his successor last that long?