Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen signs Amadou Poku from AZ Alkmaar, replacing injured Frimpong.
Bayer Leverkusen has bolstered its offensive line with the addition of 21-year-old Dutch-Ghanaian winger Ernest Poku, who joins the German vice-champions from Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar. The transfer fee is reported to be around ten million euros, with additional bonuses[2].
Standing at 1.76m tall, Poku is known for his exceptional speed, dribbling, and dynamism, predominantly playing on the right wing[1][4][5]. In his time at Alkmaar, he made 79 appearances, scoring six goals and providing 14 assists across competitions, including 10 Europa League games last season[1][5].
Poku's impressive performances for the Netherlands U21 team at the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, where he scored two important goals and helped his team reach the semifinals, have further cemented his reputation as a promising offensive talent[4][5]. In the early 2025-26 season matches, he started four games for Alkmaar and had one goal and two assists, demonstrating his offensive productivity[3][5].
Bayer Leverkusen's sporting director Simon Rolfes has described Poku as an excellent winger, who will add special accents to the team's offense with his speed and dribbling strength[6]. Rolfes believes that Poku will fill the attacking vacancy left by the departure of Jeremie Frimpong, who previously occupied the right-flank position at Bayer Leverkusen before transferring to Liverpool last season[1].
While Frimpong was known primarily as a right-back or wing-back with strong pace and attacking contributions, adding defensive solidity and width[1][3], Poku is a more academic-style winger with a focus on forward roles on the wing. His qualities are described as tricky and determined by Rolfes[6].
The contract duration for Poku with Bayer Leverkusen is until 2030[1][2][4][5]. This signing comes at a time when several key players, including Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah, Granit Xhaka, and Lukas Hradecky, have left Bayer Leverkusen in recent times[3].
Notably, Poku holds the record as the fastest player at the U-21 European Championship in Slovakia, with a speed of 35.3 km/h[5]. As Leverkusen continues to rebuild its squad, the addition of Poku promises to bring fresh energy and offensive potential to the team.
References:
[1] Bayer Leverkusen sign Dutch winger Ernest Poku from AZ Alkmaar
[2] Bayer Leverkusen sign AZ Alkmaar's Ernest Poku for €12m
[3] Bayer Leverkusen: Who is new signing Ernest Poku and what can he bring to the club?
[4] Ernest Poku: Bayer Leverkusen sign Dutch U-21 winger from AZ Alkmaar
[5] Ernest Poku: Bayer Leverkusen sign winger from AZ Alkmaar for €12m
[6] Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes hails new signing Ernest Poku
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