Bayer Leverkusen's Coaching Search: Filipe Luís Out, Glasner or Iraola In?
Bayer Leverkusen went hard for Filipe Luís. He was the preferred candidate, the man the hierarchy wanted on the touchline next season. Sky reports that the Flamengo coach – decorated with eight trophies in three years – topped the list for Simon Rolfes and Fernando Carro.
They pushed. He stayed put.
With that door now firmly shut, the club has turned back to its “Options B and C”. The names are no secret anymore: Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola.
Both coaches are poised to hit the market on 1 July. Both have already signalled they will not extend their current deals with Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth respectively. For Leverkusen, the timing is perfect. The situation inside the club makes the decision urgent.
Glasner’s Stock Soars Again
If Glasner was already an attractive candidate, Wednesday night gave his CV another sharp shine.
In his farewell match with Crystal Palace, the Austrian delivered a second European trophy of his career, adding the UEFA Conference League to the Europa League title he won with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022. Palace edged Rayo Vallecano 1–0 in a tight final, another knockout campaign shaped by Glasner’s clear structure and stubborn defensive organisation.
Clubs looking for a coach who knows how to navigate European nights will have watched closely. Leverkusen among them.
Iraola, by contrast, has built his reputation on intensity and front-foot football, dragging Bournemouth clear of trouble and turning them into one of the Premier League’s most awkward opponents. Where Glasner brings steel and tournament know‑how, Iraola offers a bolder pressing identity. Two very different paths for a club that badly needs a new direction.
Hjulmand Era Nears Its End
Inside the BayArena, the writing on the wall grows larger by the week. There is still no official announcement, but Leverkusen are widely expected to part company with head coach Kasper Hjulmand this summer, despite his contract running until 2027.
The 54-year-old Dane arrived early in the season, thrown into a dressing room still reverberating from Erik ten Hag’s rapid and messy breakdown in relations with the sporting management, sections of the coaching staff and parts of the squad. Hjulmand’s first job was to calm the storm.
He did steady the ship. Just not enough.
Leverkusen missed out on Champions League qualification, fell to Bayern in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals and went out to Arsenal in the Champions League last 16. A sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga, under these expectations and after significant investment, did not move the needle in his favour.
The performances told their own story. Leverkusen rarely convinced over 90 minutes, often grinding rather than flowing, and several expensive signings never came close to matching their transfer fees. For a club that prides itself on progressive football and smart recruitment, the disconnect was glaring.
A clean break now feels less like a reaction and more like a necessity.
Fresh Starts in Leverkusen and Monaco
So Leverkusen stand at a crossroads. Choose Glasner, and they lean into a coach with proven European pedigree and a track record of squeezing the maximum from his squads. Choose Iraola, and they commit to a high-octane style that could electrify the Bundesliga if the pieces fit.
What is clear: the next appointment has to align with a broader reset. The club wants a new head coach, a sharper identity, and better returns from the money already spent.
They are not alone in that search.
AS Monaco are also preparing to move on from their coach after just over six months. Sebastien Pocognoli stepped in last October, but back-to-back defeats to Lille and Strasbourg at the end of the campaign cost Monaco a European place. For a club used to measuring itself on continental participation, that failure bites hard.
Two clubs, two benches about to be vacant, and a summer market about to open. The managers are choosing their next projects. The question now is simple: who dares to take on Leverkusen’s rebuild, and who will be brave enough to shape Monaco’s response?
