Bayer Leverkusen has named Carles Martínez as its new head coach on a two-year contract. The 42-year-old Spaniard replaces Kasper Hjulmand at the BayArena.
The appointment comes after Hjulmand failed to guide the team back into the Champions League places last season. Martínez previously led Toulouse to a ninth-place finish in Ligue 1. Managing director for sport Simon Rolfes said the club had worked intensively to identify the right coach for its next phase. He highlighted Martínez’s experience developing young players and his background at the Barcelona youth academy. Chief executive Fernando Carro added that Martínez fits the club’s ambition to remain competitive at the highest level in Europe. Hjulmand had taken over in September 2025 following the dismissal of Erik ten Hag early in the 2025/26 campaign.
