Tah's Leverkusen journey | OneFootball

From out of favour to out of this world: Jonathan Tah's Bayer Leverkusen journey nears it's end

Jonathan Tah has been a rock at the back for Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso, and a familiar face in Die Werkself's defence since his arrival from Hamburg in 2015, but it hasn't all been plain sailing during his time in the Bundesliga.

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Jonathan Tah has become a figure of reliability and composure at the heart of both Leverkusen's and Germany’s backlines over the last few seasons. Having captained Bayer to an unbeaten first Bundesliga title and a DFB Cup triumph last season, the experienced centre-half is now set to leave the club upon the expiry of his contract this summer.

With some of Europe’s biggest clubs circling over the soon-to-be free agent, Tah is being rewarded for his patience and professionalism that have seen him reach the top of German football. However, his rise to Bundesliga stardom was by no means straightforward.

Tah was integral to Leverkusen's historic 2023/24 campaign. (IMAGO/Maik Hölter/TEAM2sportphoto)

A shining light in home city club Hamburg’s academy, Tah made his debut for the Red Shorts at just 17 when he came on as a substitute against Hertha Berlin in the 2013/14 campaign, an experience he describes fondly. "I was in Hamburg, playing in front of my friends, my family - my city. My story couldn’t have been written any better. Football felt like a dream“ he told The Players Tribune.

A loan spell at Bundesliga 2 side Fortuna Düsseldorf later, and Tah was on his way to Leverkusen at the age of 19, a period of time that made the realities of professional football very clear to Tah. "…but in 2014, less than two years later, I found out that football is also a business. I was transferred. First to Fortuna Düsseldorf, and then, less than a year later, to Bayer Leverkusen."

Tah's Bundesliga story began with his boyhood club, Hamburg. (imago sportfotodienst)

Frustrated that his time with his boyhood club had only last 16 Bundesliga games, he headed to the BayArena ahead of the 2015/16 season, where he’d join up with a Leverkusen side led by Roger Schmidt.

Die Werkself had finished fourth the season before, and would therefore have Champions League football to offer Tah in order to soften the blow of leaving Hamburg.

He made an immediate impression in his first season at the BayArena. (imago sportfotodienst)

The move, on paper, appeared to be a step up for the young defender, and a challenge he would surely relish. His focus however, was on the mounting pressure coming from the supporters of both clubs.

“Fans would leave comments on my Instagram and Twitter pages telling me to stay, and asking why I would leave my hometown team.

"And when news came that I was going to Leverkusen, there were new expectations from the fans there. I was young, but I don’t think people saw my age. They saw the millions a club had paid to bring me there. I had to prove that I was worth it."

He managed to overcome the initial pressure of signing for Leverkusen at a young age, going on to captain the team. (IMAGO/JOERAN STEINSIEK)

Despite the noise, Tah enjoyed a strong first season in Leverkusen, even earning a Germany call up upon it's conclusion. Having represented his country from U16 through to U21 level, making the step up to the senior side seemed like a natural progression for Tah, although he didn't see it that way.

"…the guys I had watched win the World Cup only two years before, were now sitting across from me at dinner. I just looked at them. I had no idea what to say."

He'd have to get acquainted with his new teammates quickly though, as he would make his debut for Joachim Löw’s side in a friendly against England, and a young Harry Kane.

He made his Germany debut against future Bundesliga rivals Harry Kane and Eric Dier. (imago sportfotodienst)

The Bayern Munich striker scored in that game, in what was a 3-2 loss for Tah and Germany. It was the first of 35 international caps for the defender, who was also a part of their squad for the quarter-final run at Euro 2024, which took place in Germany.

His regular appearance in international squads suggests it’s been a smooth ride for Tah since that loss to England in 2016.

However, injury struggles and indifferent form at times have seen him go long periods of time with a call up. Between 45 minutes in a friendly against Italy in 2016 and half an hour against Russia in 2018, Tah didn’t make an appearance for the national team. More importantly, he wasn't selected for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Given some of Germany's available centre-backs in recent years, Tah sometimes struggles for game time for his country. (IMAGO/Matthias Koch)

The 2019/20 season then saw him struggle at club level, as he made 22 league starts for Leverkusen, 11 fewer than the previous season. He was an unused substitute in six games that campaign, as Sven Bender and current defensive partner Edmond Tapsoba made their case to be the preferred pairing at the back.

Neither Tah nor sporting director Simon Rolfes were worried about the situation, although a need for improvement was acknowledged. "I believe it's a positive situation. It's not just about me. The coach can rely on our four centre-backs. That is ideal if you have high goals like we do" said Tah, while Rolfes was equally relaxed: “I believe that Jona has the potential to improve further. But in the first half of the season, everyone here had room for improvement - not just Jona".

Tah and Edmond Tapsoba compliment each other well in Bayer's defence, but their partnership took time to blossom. (DFL/ Getty Images/ Leonhard Simon)

As aware as Tah may have been of the situation, little he did seemed to change it. He was again left unused for five of the first seven of the team’s Bundesliga games in 2020/21, starting in 24 games in total.

Consequently, another period out of contention for his country followed. Between March of 2021 and September of 2023, he made just three appearances for Germany, one of those being a three minute cameo against Italy in the UEFA Nations League.

A regular starter now, Tah has had to work his way back into the team at times. (HORSTMUELLER GmbH via www.imago-images.de)

The 2022/23 season brought a change of fortunes for the Hamburg youth product, particularly toward the end of the campaign. Under Gerardo Seoane, Tah became a regular starter again, completing 90 minutes in each of the first eight games. While his form was certainly a positive, the team’s was not, and Seoane was dismissed with just one win from those opening matches. In came Xabi Alonso, who would lose five of the next 13, compared to Seoane’s five losses from eight.

Xabi Alonso has certainly brought the best out of Tah. (IMAGO/Norbert SCHMIDT)

The Spaniard took them from 15th to sixth by the end of the season, before mastering his recipe for success ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Leverkusen’s first Bundesliga title was won that season, during which Alonso and Tah experienced a grand total of zero Bundesliga defeats. They finished 17 points ahead of runners-up Stuttgart, conceding just 24 goals over 34 games. Their dominance even extended to the DFB Cup, making it only the second time the club has lifted the trophy, and the first time since 1993.

They were unsuccessful in their Europa League final against Italian side Atalanta, although this was their first European final since 2002, which was an achievement in itself.

And at the heart of this historic campaign? Jona.

He started 30 Bundesliga games that season, scoring four times and cementing a starting place in Germany’s European Championship team, as they recorded their best tournament finish since 2016. The following 2024/25 season was trophyless for Leverkusen, although they were again mightily impressive, losing just two league games all season.

Having started the season with a German Supercup win over Stuttgart, Tah is ending it having hit 400 appearances for Die Werkself, becoming one of the club’s most notable leaders in the process.

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