Helmes lengthens Leverkusen stay
Saturday, September 20, 2008
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Fresh from hitting a hat-trick against Hannover 96 on Friday, Bayer 04 Leverkusen forward Patrick Helmes has extended his contract by another year, keeping him at the club until summer 2013.
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'Next step'
"Patrick feels very good here and sees that something is coming together," commented Leverkusen's sporting director Rudi Völler. "Also, he can make the next step here and make a case for himself in terms of the national team." Capped seven times by Germany, the 24-year-old fired a hat-trick on Friday as Bayer completed a 4-0 victory over Hannover 96, and he now leads the Bundesliga scoring charts with six strikes. Helmes joined from 1. FC Köln on a free transfer this summer and boasts an overall tally of ten Bundesliga goals in 18 matches.