Tah hoping Brandt & Havertz stay at Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah hopes Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz remain at the club beyond this season. The duo have been linked with moves away from the BayArena, with the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus all mooted as potential destinations for Brandt.

Meanwhile, Bayern and Arsenal have been touted as candidates to sign Havertz, who has scored 15 goals in all competitions in a fine season. "Of course, [Brandt] and Kai are players for key moments. During games, they can play the decisive pass. Or the way Kai scored that penalty [in a 4-2 loss to RB Leipzig last Saturday], so calmly, those are the moments in which you really need them and in which they can make a difference with their qualities." Tah told Omnisport. 

April 9, 2019

"They've showed many times in the past they can really help us and that we need them. I hope it'll continue like this.I get along with [Brandt] very well, he's a good friend of mine and I've known him for many years now. I also played for many years with him. I value him as a person and as a player. I'd be very happy if I could continue playing with him, but that's not up to me, I don't have anything to do with that. Kai is an amazing player. He's really in the limelight at the moment, everyone seems to want him. I really get that, but I'd love to continue playing with him and as I said before, we really need him."

Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz was appointed as the replacement for Heiko Herrlich in December and Tah is enjoying a new approach at centre-back. "I think due to the new coach things have changed a bit for me. The playing style is different, which is good for me," he explained.

"To defend positively, a little more offensive, and the fact that we play more football together is good for me. But there are still some improvements to be made; my personal performances, the way I act on the pitch. And in the national team, I think there's an open competition between all the players in my position. Of course, I want to perform well for the club but obviously use these performances to push for the national team and once I'm there, I want to perform."