Bayer Leverkusen will look to begin building a new era following the departure of many key players and 2024 domestic double-winning coach Xabi Alonso in the close season, said new boss Erik ten Hag on Friday.
Ten Hag took over amid a squad overhaul with more than half a dozen key players having left, including star player Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, who both joined Liverpool, and midfielder Granit Xhaka.
Leverkusen kick off their season with a home game against Hoffenheim on Saturday, in Ten Hag's second competitive match in charge after last week's German Cup first round win over lower-league Sonnenhof Grossaspach.
"We did everything to be optimally prepared," Ten Hag told a press conference. "It has a lot to do with the team spirit. In the changing room, the players are growing together."
"A lot of players have stayed and they bring a specific culture. That remains. The new players have understood the club culture. I have had major overhauls in the past. That's the challenge."
"It is good because it needed it. An era comes to an end at some point and this has happened here and we now start building a new era, and we all are working very hard towards that every day," he said.
Ten Hag knows he has his work cut out as Alonso's successor, with the Spaniard having led them to the domestic league and Cup double without a single defeat in the 2023-24 season.
"We have young players but experienced ones as well. I think the mix is good," said Ten Hag.