Bayer Leverkusen's Midfield Project on Hold Due to Eichhorn's Illness

Bayer Leverkusen’s great midfield project has been put on hold before it even began.

Kennet Eichhorn, the 17-year-old prodigy signed this summer amid fierce competition from Europe’s elite, is facing an indefinite spell out after doctors diagnosed him with a metabolic illness. The club’s excitement has been replaced by concern.

It started with a warning sign in mid-July. Eichhorn suddenly shed five kilos in five days due to a gastrointestinal infection. What first looked like a severe but temporary setback led to deeper examinations. The result: a serious metabolic issue that now requires inpatient treatment.

Eichhorn is currently in hospital, where specialists are working to identify the exact cause of the illness and rebuild his strength. For Leverkusen, the sporting timetable around him has simply disappeared. There is no return date. No rough estimate. Nothing.

Sport Bild reports that the club have taken the teenager out of their squad planning for the entire first half of the season. For a player who arrived as one of the most talked‑about young midfielders in Europe, it is a brutal pause in momentum.

It also forces Leverkusen to rethink their transfer strategy.

Originally, two central midfielders were expected to be sold to clear space and balance the squad. With Eichhorn unavailable for months, that plan has been scaled back. Only one departure is now on the table, and three names are in the frame: Equi Fernandez (24), Aleix Garcia (29) and Robert Andrich (31).

Fernandez looks the likeliest to move. He currently has the strongest market and could fetch around 20 million euros. His situation at the club has already been turbulent: he previously fell out with former coach Kasper Hjulmand, though his relationship with Carles Martinez is now said to be back on track. That makes his possible exit a sporting loss, but a financially attractive one.

Garcia, for his part, is understood to be open to a new challenge. He “can imagine” a move, as the report puts it, but suitable suitors have yet to step forward with conviction. Interest exists, concrete offers do not.

Andrich looks safest. At this stage, all signs point to the experienced midfielder staying put. With Eichhorn out and uncertainty around Fernandez and Garcia, Andrich’s reliability and familiarity with the system suddenly carry extra weight.

All of this unfolds against the backdrop of what Eichhorn was supposed to represent.

Last season, the teenager broke through at Hertha BSC in the 2. Bundesliga, establishing himself as a regular despite the chaos around the club. He missed some matches due to an ankle injury and a suspension after a red card, but his performances were strong enough to light up scouting departments across the continent.

Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain – the list of admirers read like a Champions League knockout bracket. Leverkusen moved decisively, paying nine million euros to bring him in as a long-term pillar of their midfield.

The plan was clear: integrate him gradually, then unleash him. Now, that roadmap has been torn up.

For a 17-year-old, the priority has shifted completely from tactics and minutes to health and recovery. Leverkusen will wait, doctors will lead, and the football side of the story is on hold.

He is still one of Europe’s most highly regarded talents. The transfer fee, the interest, the trajectory at Hertha – none of that disappears overnight. But the question now is no longer how quickly he can break into the starting XI.

It is when, and in what condition, he will be able to start again at all.