Ten Hag from the Netherlands was officially appointed as the new head coach of Leverkusen. In an interview, Ten Hag said that he attaches great importance to team spirit and believes that the team will have an outstanding lineup.

After 34 rounds of Bundesliga matches this season, Leverkusen finished the season in second place and qualified for the Champions League with 19 wins, 12 draws and 3 losses. With the departure of Xabi Alonso, Ten Hag, who had coached Manchester United, was appointed as the team's new head coach.

"I am very happy to be here and have received a warm welcome. The communication with the club management was also very pleasant. I have been following the Bundesliga and Leverkusen. In recent years, this club has maintained an innovative spirit and made great progress in its journey towards becoming a championship contender. Everyone can feel the winning mentality in every corner of the club," said Ten Hag in an interview.

"I want to win games in a certain way, by being dominant and engaging. I want to be with the players, the coaching staff and the fans, and build and develop the team here. I value good team spirit, not only on the court, but also off the court and in the locker room."

Ten Hag said: "There will definitely be players leaving the team, which is a normal part of football. But I fully believe that we will have a very competitive squad and I am looking forward to it. In the end, this work is always about player growth and building a team that can succeed."

It is worth mentioning that Xabi Alonso led Leverkusen to win the championship with an unbeaten record in the 2022/23 Bundesliga.

When talking about Xabi Alonso, Ten Hag said, "Xabi Alonso has achieved great and historic achievements here. When he took over the team before, the club's foundation was very solid because there were many excellent people here. Of course, the coach is a key role, but real success often comes from the efforts of everyone."

"I started coaching after retiring as a player and have been coaching for 22 consecutive years. The recent break was very valuable to me. It gave me the opportunity to calm down and reflect. So now I am full of energy and eager to adapt to the new environment as soon as possible. In the next few days and weeks, there will be a lot of communication."