Bayer Leverkusen’s title success this season was built on the sales of Kai Havertz to Chelsea and Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa.
That’s according to their sporting director Simon Rolfes, who has insisted the two deals with Chelsea and Aston Villa laid the foundations and then built the roof of their historic first title win.
Xabi Alonso’s side were crowned champions of Germany for the first time in their history over the weekend, breaking Bayern Munich’s recent dominance of the league with a 5-0 win over Werder Bremen.
It is the club’s first ever title win and potentially the first of several trophies this season as they’re also in the latter stages of the Europa League and the German cup final.
It’s proved to be a remarkable year for them, in which they remain unbeaten still, with much of the credit going to manager Xabi Alonso and the work he has done with the squad since his arrival in October 2022.
His style of football and the strategy implemented under him has been the key to their success, but Rolfes believes it was two sales to Chelsea and Aston Villa that really got the ball rolling.
“To put it this way: (Kai, ed.) Havertz’s sale ensured that we were able to lay the foundations and build the ground floor, and with Moussa (Diaby) it was the roof and the panelling,” Sky Germany report him saying to Der Spiegel.
“In the winter of 2020, everything that we are now being praised for actually started.”
🔴 News #Zubimendi | The 25 y/o from Real Sociedad is on the list of FC Bayern but it was never advanced.
A possible transfer was closely linked to Xabi #Alonso. Currently, Bayern's interest is not concrete.
Zubimendi is a transfer target for Arsenal. Bayern is informed about… pic.twitter.com/r65r8ksEtz
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) April 16, 2024
