Simon Rolfes’ long-term scouting pays off as their new left-back delivers immediate impact.
Miguel Gutiérrez has made the kind of start that makes a transfer plan look very different in hindsight.
One goal. Three assists. Four Bundesliga matchdays.
But the most interesting part of Gutiérrez's arrival at Bayer Leverkusen is not what he has done in those four games. It is when Leverkusen decided they wanted him.
Simon Rolfes has revealed that Gutiérrez was already the club's preferred candidate to succeed Alejandro Grimaldo and that discussions had begun last year.
He was always our candidate if Alejandro Grimaldo leaves at some point. He was always our preferred solution, we were already in contact about it last year.
That changes the way to look at the transfer.
Leverkusen were not forced into the market after Grimaldo's departure, searching for the best available left-back. They had already been working towards this moment. The club had identified a player, established contact, and waited until the circumstances were right to make the move.
And Gutiérrez has immediately given them a return.
His four goal contributions have come in four league appearances, but there is more substance behind the numbers. He has quickly become one of Leverkusen's most productive players in the final third without needing the team to completely reshape itself around him.
Against RB Leipzig, he provided the cross for Patrik Schick's opener before scoring the second goal himself. It was a particularly useful illustration of his value because he influenced the game in two different ways without dominating possession or requiring constant involvement.
That is exactly what Leverkusen would have hoped for from a player they had already spent considerable time assessing.
The recruitment itself also fits the profile of a club planning ahead rather than reacting.
Gutiérrez had already built significant experience at Real Madrid, Girona and Napoli before arriving in Germany. He was not being brought in as an untested prospect. At the same time, at 25, he arrives with enough room for Bayer to believe there is another level available.
That combination matters.
Die Werkself were losing a player in Grimaldo who had become deeply established in their team. Replacing such a figure with a completely different profile would have introduced another layer of adaptation. Instead, they found a technically accomplished left-back who could immediately operate in the same general areas and contribute with the ball.
The early numbers suggest the transition has been remarkably smooth.
Rolfes' comments also reveal something about Leverkusen's recruitment philosophy. The sporting department was thinking about succession before the vacancy existed. They were not waiting for a player to leave before beginning the search for his replacement.
That is often the difference between a transfer that feels like a reaction and one that feels inevitable.
Gutiérrez's start does not prove that every part of the plan will work. Four matches are an extremely small sample, and his defensive adaptation to the Bundesliga will be tested much more heavily as the season develops.
But it does show that Leverkusen's preparation has already paid off.
They knew Grimaldo's time at the club would eventually end. They knew the kind of player they wanted next. They had already spoken to Gutiérrez.
Now, after four Bundesliga games, the player they had been waiting for has four goal contributions.
