Leverkusen fires Heiko Herrlich, signs Peter Bosz as coach

LEVERKUSEN, Germany - Bayer Leverkusen has fired coach Heiko Herrlich despite two Bundesliga wins in a row.

The German club, which is ninth in the standings, says former Borussia Dortmund coach Peter Bosz is taking over and will start preparations for the second half of the season on Jan 4.

Bosz, who led Ajax to the Europa League final in 2017, agreed a deal through June 2020.

Leverkusen wanted to sign Bosz in the summer of 2017 but instead he joined Dortmund, which sacked the Dutchman after a good start was followed by a slump that saw the side claim one win in 13 games across all competitions.

Leverkusen says it decided to let Herrlich go - despite four wins from five games across all competitions - due to a "stagnation in the development of the team." He won 22 of 51 Bundesliga games with the club.

Herrlich previously led Jahn Regensburg to the second division from Germany's fourth tier.

AP