Ernest Poku and Christian Kofane fuelling Bayer Leverkusen surge
A resurgent Bayer Leverkusen head into their Matchday 9 encounter with Bayern Munich with two summer signings, fledgling talents Christian Kofane and Ernest Poku, in full flight.
The youthful duo have been nominated for October’s Rookie of the Month award after some stellar performances that have lifted Die Werkself into the top five after a shaky start to the 2025/26 campaign.
With Florian Wirtz, Amine Adli, Emiliano Buendia, Jeremie Frimpong and Victor Boniface all leaving the BayArena in the summer, the 2023/24 Bundesliga champions needed to get their recruitment right to remodel the team’s decimated cutting edge.
Watch: Poku scores as Leverkusen see off Freiburg
They did, though Leverkusen fans could be forgiven for wondering whether Poku would be part of that when he came in from AZ Alkmaar.
Born in Hamburg but raised in the Netherlands from the age of six, he scored just two goals and tallied three assists in 23 Eredivisie games last season. His 12 strikes in 17 second-tier appearances for AZ’s youth side the previous season suggested an acute nose for goal, but the gap from there to the Bundesliga is a big one.
Poku has, however, bridged it comfortably, and proven right Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes, who tipped Poku to “give us something special”.
After three fruitless substitute appearances and watching the Matchday 3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt from the bench, he scored with his first shot on goal in the 2-1 defeat of St Pauli in the city where he was born on Matchday 5. Since, he has started the last three Bundesliga games, scoring twice and teeing up another to play a central role in giving new coach Kasper Hjulmand four successive wins.
“I’m happy with it, I’m just trying to help the team, I think I’m doing it quite well, I hope I can keep this flow,” Poku said when asked about his rich vein of form following the Matchday 8 win over Freiburg. “I think it’s something I just have to do. I’m quite happy with it, but I have to keep doing it. This is not enough yet.”
The 21-year-old’s stats suggest he can and probably will improve. He has taken just eight attempts to score his three goals – a tally bettered only by Alejandro Grimaldo in the Leverkusen squad – and has recorded the fastest sprint in the league at 22.1 mph.
With his starring role, the spotlight has been ramped up on the Netherlands U21 international, who – given his birthplace – is being asked whether he may answer a call from Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann with next year’s World Cup on the horizon. He could also represent Ghana, who have already qualified for the tournament in North America, thanks to his parents’ heritage.
“That would certainly be possible, but at the moment I’m focusing only on the Oranje,” Poku said in response to a question from Dutch media regarding his international future. “I am not currently thinking about it, but it would be great to be there. I work hard every day and give my best for Leverkusen and the Jong Oranje. If I manage to do it in the end, that would be very nice."
Kofane could also be at the World Cup, a feat that would cap a fairytale 18 months for the teenager, who would turn 20 a week after the final in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on 19 July.
To have any chance of being there, Cameroon first have to negotiate a play-off with Democratic Republic of Congo and then prevail against either Nigeria or Gabon before hoping they come through the inter-confederation play-off to claim one of the last two available places among the 48 qualified teams.
If Kofane plays, their chances would certainly increase. The 19-year-old turned down call-ups for both the September and October international windows, saying he wanted to focus on his club form. But with that decision having paid rich dividends, a recent visit to the BayArena by Cameroon legend and current Cameroon FA president Samuel Eto’o may convince Kofane to make his senior international bow.
Kofane’s rise has been nothing short of fairytale. He only made his professional debut in Europe in January this year, scoring after 114 seconds as Albacete drew 2-2 with Racing Santander in Spain’s second division. He had only moved to Spain from AS Nylon in his hometown of Douala – the same as Eto’o – in November 2024, so when he signed for Leverkusen on a four-year deal, he looked to be one for the future.
Watch: Kofane and Poku get on the scoresheet against Mainz
Rolfes had suggested as much, saying Kofane “has the potential to become an important part of our team in the coming years”. But when Boniface joined Werder Bremen on loan on the final day of the summer transfer window and then Patrik Schick suffered a hamstring injury, Kofane was suddenly an important part of the Leverkusen line-up right now.
"I will give everything to take this chance in the Bundesliga. In the history of Bayer 04 there are lots of examples of young players who have achieved great things here,” Kofane had said upon signing, and he has joined that impressive list of talent.
He had a goal and an assist on his competitive debut for his new club in the DFB Cup before scoring in three successive appearances, twice in the Bundesliga on Matchdays 6 and 7 after becoming Leverkusen’s youngest-ever goalscorer in the Champions League on his first start for Leverkusen.
"I had to pull myself together because the game wasn't over yet," admitted Kofane after netting the opening goal in the 1-1 league phase draw with PSV Eindhoven aged 19 years and 67 days. "I actually wanted to cry, but I pulled myself together to carry on and help the team."
“He did well, not only with his goal, but also in his all-round play,” said goalkeeper Mark Flekken. “He's truly a focal point up front. He distributed the ball well, kept hold of it, and sometimes ran deep into space very well. That's something we need.”
Kofane has also given Hjulmand another bona fide option in a Leverkusen line-up bristling with youthful quality. “It was great to see so many young players. Chris[tian] is just 19 years old, we threw him in. He’s been in Europe for eight months. You saw what he can do,” said a beaming Leverkusen boss after the PSV game.
“When you have young players of this quality, they get more and more games under their belt and show what they can do. I believe in the quality they have.”
Related news
Vote for October's Goal of the Month!
Three Bayern players, two Saïd El Mala efforts and more feature among the blockbuster list of contenders for October's Goal of the Month vote.
Vušković retains Rookie of the Month!
The HSV defender beat out Leverkusen's Christian Kofane and Ernest Poku to retain the honour for October.
Why Leverkusen will beat PSG
Here’s why the Werkself can come away with all three points against the reigning European champions.