Bayer Leverkusen announced the signing of United States international Malik Tillman from PSV Eindhoven on Saturday, activating the 23-year-old’s €35 million release clause, and it’s not hard to see why.
Tillman completed an exceptional season in the Netherlands in 2024-25 and capped it off by being arguably the U.S. men’s national team’s best player on its run to the Gold Cup final. Not only is he a player in form, but he’s also joining a team that’s in a state of transition and has a definitive need in the creative department.
So, how will Tillman fit in Leverkusen? What did they see in him? And are the 2023-24 Bundesliga champions the best place for one of the USMNT’s most gifted creators? ESPN’s Constantin Eckner and Cesar Hernandez reflect on Tillman’s return to Germany.
Wirtz out, Tillman in
It’s a summer of transition at Leverkusen. Hugely adored manager Xabi Alonso has left for Real Madrid, with Erik ten Hag arriving to take his place. Star Germany international Florian Wirtz left the BayArena in a £100 million (plus £16 million in add-ons) move to Liverpool, and unsurprisingly given his profile, Tillman has been signed as a central piece of the club’s attack.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Ten Hag spoke to PSV manager Peter Bosz about Leverkusen in recent times, with Bosz having served as Bayer’s head coach from late 2018 to spring 2021. The two Dutchmen likely exchanged thoughts on Tillman, too.
The German-born midfielder was arguably PSV’s best player last season. When Tillman was sidelined with an ankle injury in the later stages of the Eredivisie season, the Eindhoven club lost 10 points to Ajax but ultimately overtook its rivals at the end of the season, in part thanks to Tillman.
Leverkusen have been aware of the midfielder for quite some time, which might not be a revelation given that Tillman is a Bayern Munich academy graduate. He quickly realized there would be little chance to play for Bayern and thus took a different route, first on loan at Rangers and then for PSV. The Eredivisie side ultimately signed him on a permanent deal for a modest fee of €12 million in 2024. In transferring Tillman to Leverkusen, PSV have nearly tripled their investment.
The Bundesliga club was aware of the fact that several teams, including some from the Premier League, were seriously looking at Tillman in recent months. That comes as little surprise considering his talent. In particular, Tillman’s forceful nature of making runs from midfield and into the penalty area caught Leverkusen’s eye.
STREAM FUTBOL AMERICAS ON ESPN+
Herculez Gomez and Cristina Alexander debate the biggest storylines and break down the best highlights that soccer in the Americas has to offer. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
Despite being a smaller player, Wirtz exuded a similar degree of explosiveness when running from near the halfway line into the attacking third. Leverkusen don’t see Tillman as a one-to-one replacement for Wirtz, though, considering the U.S. international is not the kind of smooth technician who can move effortlessly between the lines and in tight areas. Hence, the Werkself are still looking to add a more technical and possibly smaller attacking midfielder to their squad.
Tillman has compared himself to Paul Pogba, another midfielder who is best suited as a No. 8 rather than a No. 10. Nevertheless, Tillman has stressed that his favorite position is the 10.
“Well, if someone asks me what my favorite position is, then it is the 10,” Tillman told German football magazine kicker a year ago. “Sure, I have also played on the left wing and a bit deeper, because I’m pretty versatile.”
Tillman will be an immediate starter for Ten Hag, whose tactical approach is not that far away from Bosz’s, although a bit more risk averse. In fact, being Leverkusen’s record signing will put considerable expectations on the 23-year-old.
Despite those expectations, virtually everyone at the Werkself accepts that Tillman won’t simply replace Wirtz. Their playing styles are too different, as are their personalities. Wirtz was a natural leader even at the tender age of 19, but Tillman is soft-spoken, introverted and lets his actions on the pitch speak for him. — Eckner
A roll of the dice in a World Cup year?
Shining at the Gold Cup with three goals and two assists as an attacking midfield conductor, the clever game-changer boasted moments of finesse and flair that helped carry the summer’s alternate squad to a second-place finish. By tournament’s end, Tillman transitioned from a player about whom you wondered if he could replicate his club form with his country, to arguably a member of the USMNT’s best XI.
With that in mind, it’s fair for some American fans to feel a little hesitant about the midfielder suddenly changing scenery less than a year out from the World Cup.
Can Tillman thrive in the Bundesliga? He most definitely can.
Culturally speaking, it won’t be tough for the German American to return to not only the country of his birth, but also a league he has had some (minimal) experience in. His confidence will be at an all-time high after the Gold Cup, and with the form that he’s in, one shouldn’t blame the up-and-coming player for having the confident mindset to take on new challenges with a team like Leverkusen.
Nonetheless, it’s a risk.
There are numerous examples of players who thrived in the Eredivisie but weren’t able to perform at the same level in a bigger European league. With the USMNT, it also shouldn’t be overlooked how Mexico were able to quiet and contain the midfielder during the Gold Cup final that the U.S. lost 2-1. In the group stage against an organized Saudi Arabia, Tillman also struggled with making much of an impact in the final third.
There’s a lot to like about the player who clearly has a lofty ceiling, but it’ll undoubtedly be a unique challenge for him at the club level for the 2025-26 season, despite not being viewed as a one-to-one replacement for Wirtz. At the moment, the jury is out on whether the coming months will be successfully navigated with Leverkusen and provide an additional boost next summer, or if it’ll be a failed gamble on a USMNT player whose stock is at an all-time high. — Hernandez
