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Eliesse Ben Seghir Is Finally Set for His Leverkusen Comeback
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- Eliesse Ben Seghir Is Finally Set for His Leverkusen Comeback
(USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect)
Eliesse Ben Seghir is set to return to team training next week, giving Bayer Leverkusen another important attacking option at a time when Carles Martínez is still working out his hierarchy in the final third.
According to BILD , the Morocco international will be gradually reintegrated into the squad, with the initial plan for him to take part in parts of team training rather than immediately returning to full workload.
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It is an encouraging step for a player who has had a frustrating start to life in Germany.
Ben Seghir joined Leverkusen from Monaco last summer on a contract until 2030, arriving after a breakout 2024/25 campaign in which he registered nine goals and four assists in 46 appearances for the French club. Monaco had also seen him become a regular in the Champions League, while his performances earned him recognition as one of the more exciting young attacking players in Ligue 1.
The move to Leverkusen, therefore, was supposed to be the next step.
Instead, his first season was disrupted by injuries and a lack of regular playing time. Ben Seghir made just 15 appearances for Leverkusen across all competitions, including 10 Bundesliga matches, and finished the campaign without a goal or assist in the league. He also suffered an ankle ligament injury earlier in the year before picking up the muscle problem that has sidelined him during the current pre-season.
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That makes this comeback particularly important.
Ben Seghir is returning to a team that looks very different from the one he joined last year. Carles Martínez is trying to establish a new attacking structure, while Leverkusen have added several new profiles around him. The Spanish coach is said to highly rate the Moroccan's ability to operate from the left, play between the lines, and carry the ball through pressure.
But where will Eliesse actually play?
The left side, where Ben Seghir prefers to operate, already looks occupied by Afonso Moreira, who has quickly emerged as one of Leverkusen's key attacking options. The central attacking role is no easier to break into either, with Maza coming off a season in which he was arguably Leverkusen's best player. The competition for places on the left wing and in attacking midfield is therefore fierce, meaning Ben Seghir may have to gradually fight his way into the starting XI.
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Still, Martínez clearly believes in him, to the point that the club's decision to prioritise Ben Seghir's development contributed to pushing another highly rated academy talent, Kerim Alajbegovic, towards Juventus .
Ben Seghir's playmaking ability and technical quality give him something different from some of the more direct players in the squad.
Now, the first objective is simply to get him back onto the pitch.
The plan is deliberately gradual, and there is no reason for Leverkusen to rush a player who has already missed valuable development time through injury.
But after a difficult first year, Ben Seghir may still have to fight for the opportunity to restart his Leverkusen career.
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The difference this time is that he has a coach who believes in him. Martínez has seen him in Ligue 1 and knows exactly what he is capable of. If managed correctly, his return could come at exactly the right time.
