Kerem Demirbay completed his move from Hoffenheim to Bayer Leverkusen earlier this summer for a €32m fee [Transfermarkt].
The Germany international of Turkish origin signed a five-year deal with Bayer and revealed that ‘it could not have out any better for me’.
Demirbay described Bayer as having a world-class setup from the club philosophy to the coaches.
“It could not have worked out better for me,” Demirbay told German sports magazine Kicker [via the official Bundesliga website] during his first week of pre-season training in Leverkusen.
“We’re playing in the Champions League, I get to play with top players, the philosophy of the club and the coaches are, in my opinion, world-class.
“We want to play with courage, attack from the front, and play football. That suits my style of play.”
Demirbay also praised his former club Hoffenheim and thanked them for helping him develop his game and reach his current level.
The 26-year-old did however, describe joining Bayer as being a step up, which probably will not go down well with his former club.
“I felt very good at Hoffenheim,” he said. “I spent three brilliant years there and was able to develop my game.
“But at some point, I had the feeling that I needed to take the next step to develop myself further. To have different players around me – a different environment.”
Demirbay was born in Germany but is of Turkish origin and did actually represent Turkey at U19 and U20 level before switching to the Germany U21 side.
The midfielder switched back to the Turkey U21 side before representing Germany at senior international level.
Demirbay has two caps for Germany but has not played for the national team since 2017.
