Korkut to leave Leverkusen at end of season

Berlin (AFP) – Bayer Leverkusen head coach Tayfun Korkut will leave the club after their final Bundesliga match next weekend, the club confirmed on Saturday.

The 43-year-old only had a contract until the end of the season after stepping in when Roger Schmidt was sacked at the start of March, but with one win in his 10 games in charge, Korkut has been shown the door.

Their 2-2 home draw against neighbours Cologne on Saturday in the Rhine derby was the final straw as the hosts had to come from 2-0 down thanks to second-half goals by forwards Stefan Kiessling and Joel Pohjanpalo.

Since being knocked out of the Champions League last 16 by Atletico Madrid in mid-March, Leverkusen have tumbled down the Bundesliga table to 12th and the club are looking for a new coach for 2017/18.

“We are very grateful to Tayfun Korkut for stepping into a difficult situation,” said Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade in a statement.

“We were impressed with his work and his way of dealing with the team, but football is a results sport and they have not been right.”

Korkut’s final game in charge will be when Leverkusen travel to fifth-placed Hertha Berlin next Saturday.