Simon Rolfes Confident Leverkusen Can Rival Bayern Munich

Kasper Hjulmand

Bayer Leverkusen's Simon Rolfes believes the team is set to challenge Bayern Munich for titles in the coming years. Bayer Leverkusen is gunning for top honors with a new title-winning team, says sporting director Simon Rolfes.

“It wasn't an adjustment; it was a huge rebuild. The players have to adapt to the club and the league...”

Bayer Leverkusen's sporting director, Simon Rolfes, believes the team has laid the groundwork for a new title-winning squad. “We want to attack again, and we will,” Rolfes said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung. “I am convinced that we laid the foundations for a new title-winning team in the summer.” This confidence comes despite the team undergoing significant changes after Xabi Alonso's departure, which Rolfes considers “managed well,” although consistency remains an issue.

The extensive rebuild after Alonso's era, where Leverkusen won the double in 2024, has shown promise with young players like Jarell Quansah and Malik Tillman potentially becoming world-class talents. Rolfes noted, “It wasn't an adjustment; it was a huge rebuild. The players have to adapt to the club and the league, but many of them are capable of becoming absolute top players.” Leverkusen aims to improve every season and become more capable of winning titles.

Rolfes praised the team's current coach, Kasper Hjulmand, saying, “He is very communicative, has a clear approach, responds to his assistant coaches, and seeks to be close to the team.” Rolfes also mentioned that Leverkusen still keeps in touch with Alonso, who recently joined Real Madrid. “We still have a lot of contact. Fernando just had lunch with him in Madrid. We had a fantastic success story together,” Rolfes said.

Bayer Leverkusen's Current Standings:

Bundesliga: 5th place, 11 points from 6 matches

Goals and Performance: The team has shown potential, but consistency is key to their success

Top 5 heading into the International break! 💪🖤❤️ pic.twitter.com/K4RVevbekY

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) October 5, 2025

Rolfes' future at Leverkusen remains uncertain, as he stated, “I continue to enjoy my work here and the development of the club. That motivates me. The fact that I have retired here as a player does not automatically mean that I will also retire here as a manager.”

“It wasn't an adjustment; it was a huge rebuild. The players have to adapt to the club and the league, but many of them are capable of becoming absolute top players,” says Rolfes: “Based on this new squad, we can improve every season over the next two, three, or four years and become more capable of winning titles.”

Developing a Title-Winning Team

Simon Rolfes, Bayer Leverkusen's sporting director, believes the team's standards have evolved after their success under Xabi Alonso. “Standards have changed,” he said. “The image boost from the time with successful coach Alonso has naturally shifted the standards.” However, Rolfes emphasized that the club can't buy success, stating, “We can't buy a title-winning team, we have to develop it - so there are cycles.” Despite this, he expressed confidence in the team's current quality, highlighting young talents like Jarell Quansah and Malik Tillman, who he believes have the potential to become world-class players.

Rolfes praised the duo, saying, “We've got players that we couldn't have signed five years ago.” He added that Quansah and Tillman are capable of making the leap to becoming top players, which would be a significant boost to the team's title ambitions. This approach focuses on developing young talent, which could lead to sustained success for Bayer Leverkusen in the future.

Simon Rolfes mentioned that Xabi Alonso has already achieved a new challenge by moving to Real Madrid in the summer. “We still have a lot of contact,” Rolfes said. “Fernando (Carro, Bayer managing director) just had lunch with him in Madrid. We had a fantastic success story together,” highlighting the strong relationship between Alonso and the Leverkusen management team after his departure from the club.

Rolfes left his own future open, however. “I continue to enjoy my work here and the development of the club. That motivates me. The fact that I have retired here as a player does not automatically mean that I will also retire here as a manager,” said the 43-year-old.

Top 5 heading into the International break! 💪🖤❤️ pic.twitter.com/K4RVevbekY

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) October 5, 2025