German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen have sacked their new manager Erik Ten Hag after just three games in charge, the club announced on Monday. Ten Hag, who was fired by Manchester United last October had signed a two-year contract with Bayer Leverkusen, succeeded Xavi Alonso who moved to Real Madrid recently.

The 55-year-old Dutchman now has the unwanted record of breaking the previous mark for a coach of five matches before dismissal. After taking over in May earlier this year Ten Hag lost his first game as Bayer Leverkusen head coach against TSG Hoffenheim at home in Bundesliga.

Bayer Leverkusen won their second match of the 20250-26 season in DFB-Pokal, when they won their first round tie against fourth-tier SG Sonnenhof. However, things turned sour between Ten Hag and Bayer Leverkusen after their 3-3 draw against Werder Bremen in Bundesliga.

“This decision was not easy for us. Nobody wanted to take this step,” Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a statement. “The past few weeks have shown that the steps to build a new and successful team have not been effective,” Rolfes said. Club CEO Fernando Carro said the decision was “painful, but necessary”.

What led to Eric Ten Hag’s dismissal?

One of the major aspects of Ten Hag’s dismissal was the wholesome changes at the club. After the Dutchman arrived at the club, the likes of Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, Amine Adli, Odilon Kossounou, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah left the club all together.

Replacing them, Bayer Leverkusen signed Malik Tillman, Jarell Quansah, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Loïc Badé, Ibrahim Maza, Mark Flekken and Ernest Poku, spending around $199.31m. Another important factor that led to ten Hag’s sacking was his conservative style of play unlike the times under Alonso when Bayer Leverkusen played attacking football.

Under Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga in 2024 and finished runners-up in 2025 season. Ten Hag also became the third former Manchester United managed to be sacked in a matter of weeks. Jose Mourinho was recently fired by Fenerbahce while Besiktas sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.