According to Goal.com, just two years ago Robert Andrich captured the attention of German football fans: at the European Championship held in his home country, he unexpectedly started in every match for Julian Nagelsmann's German national team, standing out with his pink hair and strong physical presence on the pitch. He was responsible for supporting midfield players like Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gündoğan until Germany unfortunately lost to Spain in the semi-final, with Spain eventually becoming champions.

Since then, Andrich has fallen out of favour with the national team, and Nagelsmann did not call him up for the World Cup this summer. At club level, his situation has deteriorated: after a disappointing previous season, finishing sixth and missing out on Champions League qualification, Carles Martínez took over at Bayer Leverkusen. The Spanish coach quickly made it clear that he had little intention of relying on Andrich.

In mid-August, he stripped the captain's armband from Andrich and gave it to Tapsoba. Martínez said: "Right now he is just a backup player in midfield." He then added: "At least now he knows what to think about. This way he can prepare for what is best for him and for us." From the coach's perspective, the best outcome for all parties seemed clear at that point: a parting of ways.

Andrich's situation is reminiscent of Leon Goretzka at Bayern Munich in summer 2024, when Vincent Kompany and Bayern's management offered him only a backup role, attempting to push him out.

After Andrich was stripped of the captaincy, his wife Alicia intervened for the first time. She was clearly aware that her husband had been demoted and simply posted a short phrase in Spanish that coach Carles Martínez could easily understand: "Karma will sort everything out." She later denied on social media that the message was related to the situation, which only fueled further speculation.

Andrich clearly was unwilling to accept this new backup role, and his wife likely felt the same. As a result, Bundesliga clubs like Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig saw an opportunity and began inquiring about the 31-year-old player. However, by last weekend, no deal had been finalized, and then Carles Martínez's statement before Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga season opener at SV Elversberg became a new talking point.

When asked if he had discussed Andrich's role for the season, he answered hesitantly in English: "To be honest, I haven't talked to him yet." The backup position was already clear, and there was no direct communication with the head coach: until Friday, everything seemed to point to Andrich's impending departure.

Then came Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga season opener at SV Elversberg, and the visiting team found themselves trailing 2-0 in under 10 minutes, ultimately losing 3-2. Immediately afterwards, Alicia Andrich intervened for a second time: she liked a Kicker post titled "Pötkov makes history: Elversberg's first Bundesliga goal" and then unliked it hours later. Andrich sat on the bench for all 90 minutes without playing. Bayer Leverkusen struggled in this difficult match against the newly promoted team – which seemed to bring his wife momentary satisfaction.

It is impossible to confirm whether this disappointing loss caused Bayer Leverkusen to suddenly reconsider Andrich's future, but it is quite likely it was a contributing factor. Additionally, Bayer Leverkusen's midfield was depleted: Palacios had moved to newly promoted Ipswich Town in the Premier League, Kenneth Orsholdt was injured long-term, and Exequiel Fernández could not maintain his excellent pre-season form against Elversberg. This made Andrich relevant again. After the loss, Martínez said: "He is here, he is a leader in our team," and suddenly "leader" sounded entirely different from "backup role."

However, the coach clarified that his earlier statement about not having spoken to Andrich was misleading: "Yes, I said I didn't talk to Robert. The more accurate statement would be: I haven't talked to him since Palacios left." He clarified this on Saturday. Following this verbal correction, Kicker reported on Monday that Andrich, after this major shift, would not leave and would remain at Bayer Leverkusen.

Whether "karma," as Alicia Andrich had previously mentioned, actually played a role in this change of heart remains unclear. In football, many things can change in an instant – and Andrich may prove this again soon. By contrast, Goretzka made a comeback at Bayern in late autumn 2024 after spending months on the bench. Last season, he became a regular starter for Bayern again and subsequently moved to Aston Villa – two years later, he was pushed out verbally as well, much like Andrich is now.

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