16-year-old with great potential: Kennet Eichhorn profile

A year ago, Bayer 04 made great efforts to recruit the holding midfielder from the Hertha Berlin youth set-up. Talks with Bernd Korzynietz in particular, as well as discussions with Markus Daun from the Bayer 04 youth section and Director of Football Kim Falkenberg, led to the development of a good relationship with Kennet Eichhorn. Managing Director Sport Simon Rolfes describes the right-footer as “one of the best German talents.”

flying start in Bundesliga 2

No one can or wants to contradict that. At just 15 years old, Eichhorn, who was born in Bernau near Berlin, was already showing what he could in training at Hertha Berlin in the summer of 2025. Eichhorn was still too young to take part in the Berlin team's friendlies. However, the enthusiastic Hertha coach Stefan Leitl said that Kennet's youth no longer stands out on the training ground: "He's doing really well in terms of his physicality and understanding of the game. And he is very keen to learn." This extraordinary mix of physical and technical class as well as enormous game intelligence has ensured a flying start for the 1.86 metre tall player, who has long been on the radar of major German and European clubs and whose signing has now landed Bayer 04 an internationally acclaimed coup on the transfer market.

he is still a Teenager but Eichhorn plays like a man

Kennet Eichhorn became the youngest second division player of all time in Germany with the Blue and Whites from Berlin. On 10 August, he made his senior debut at the Olympic Stadium, coming on as a substitute in the 68th minute against Karlsruher SC - at the age of 16 years and 14 days. He also went down in history as the youngest goalscorer in the second tier in the 2-1 win against SpVgg Greuther Fürth - with Hertha a man down. Eichhorn played like a man, physically robust and sharp on the ball. Not in two or three games, but consistently. The teenager made 17 league appearances last season, played twice in the DFB Pokal, scored a goal in both competitions and became an integral part of the Hertha team.

Now comes the move to Bayer 04: "After really very good talks, I’ve decided on what I consider to be the best solution: Leverkusen is a club that has quickly developed many players, even very young ones, into top professionals," says the Germany U17 international Eichhorn, who can also play in central midfield in addition to being a six and he will wear number 18 jersey at Leverkusen. "I'm delighted to be taking my next steps at such an exciting top European club like Bayer 04."