Leverkusen striker Schick dismisses team’s title chances after Xhaka becomes latest to leave

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick says his team is not capable of fighting for the German Bundesliga title without new signings, after Granit Xhaka joined a string of title-winning players to leave the club.

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is faced with an even bigger rebuild as Leverkusen’s new coach after midfielder Xhaka joined English Premier League side Sunderland.

Attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, right back Jeremie Frimpong and defender Jonathan Tah — all crucial to Leverkusen’s league and cup double in 2024 — left the club this off-season and coach Xabi Alonso departed for Real Madrid.

“The most important players have gone and that obviously hurts,” Schick, who was Leverkusen’s top scorer last season with 27 goals in 45 games, told Sky Sport Germany in an interview released late Wednesday.

“Right now, we’re hoping that we can still get a couple of good players in, because we’re not currently in a position where we’re capable of fighting for the title.”

Czech striker Schick said, as a forward, he’d most miss attacking midfielder Wirtz because “the quality that he has is very hard to find,” but that Xhaka is the biggest loss to the team as a whole.

“He was a leader,” Schick said. “He was the player with the most experience.”

The bulk of Leverkusen’s off-season spending so far has gone on American attacking midfielder Malik Tillman from PSV Eindhoven and former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah, while the club’s also signed Brentford’s highly-rated goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Schick, however, picked out a lesser-known name as his most impressive signing of the summer. Ibrahim Maza, a 19-year-old midfielder signed from second-tier German club Hertha Berlin, is “really a good player,” he said.

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