Like Arsenal FC in English Premier League 2003-04, Bayer Leverkusen ended the 2023/24 Bundesliga season with an unbeaten record after seeing off Augsburg 2-1 on the final day of the campaign.
Xabi Alonso’s league champions finished 17 points clear of second-placed Stuttgart, who overtook Bayern Munich on a dramatic final day which saw Thomas Tuchel’s side fall 4-2 to Hoffenheim.
Leverkusen, routinely mocked for their history of coming up short, racked up 28 wins and six draws from their 34 games, scoring 89 goals and conceding just 24 in the process.
The fun is not yet over for Leverkusen, who are on the hunt for an unbeaten treble which could yet yield DFB Pokal and Europa League glory.
Alonso’s outfit face Atalanta in the European final on May 22, before returning to domestic action with a cup final against Kaiserslautern – two games which Leverkusen will enter as heavy favourites to emerge victorious.
Having already seen Alonso commit to staying at the club beyond this summer, Leverkusen’s focus will soon switch to retaining their top players, many of whom are admired across Europe.
Attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz is a big-money target for the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid, while right-back Jeremie Frimpong has also attracted significant interest from teams like Manchester United.
Frimpong’s contract includes a release clause of €40m which is only active this summer.
Reports suggest this can only be triggered before the European Championships get underway next month.
In defence, Jonathan Tah is entering the final 12 months of his contract and will be sold if an agreement over an extension cannot be found, while a decision will have to be made on Bayern Munich loanee Josip Stanisic.
What we know
- Bayer Leverkusen completed an unbeaten Bundesliga season
- Xabi Alonso’s side stormed to an unlikely league title
- Cup and Europa League glory also in their sights.
