Leverkusen Faces Setback with Kennet Eichhorn's Health Crisis

Bayer Leverkusen’s summer blueprint has been ripped apart by a worrying twist in the story of Kennet Eichhorn, the 17-year-old prodigy they had earmarked as a cornerstone of the club’s future.

What began as a routine setback has turned into something far more serious. In mid-July, Eichhorn shed five kilos in just five days due to a gastrointestinal infection. Doctors soon discovered the problem ran deeper, diagnosing a metabolic illness that has now forced the teenager into inpatient treatment.

He is currently in hospital, where specialists are working to identify the exact causes of the condition and rebuild his strength. The sporting consequences are already stark. According to Sport Bild, Leverkusen are bracing for a lengthy absence and have abandoned any attempt to put a date on his return. For the first half of the season, Eichhorn has effectively disappeared from the club’s squad planning.

For a player signed to be part of the present as much as the future, that is a brutal early twist.

Transfer dominoes in midfield

The medical bulletin has had an immediate knock-on effect in the transfer department. Leverkusen had initially prepared to offload two central midfielders to clear space and balance the books. That plan has been scaled back. With Eichhorn out of the equation for now, only one midfielder is expected to be sold.

Three names sit in the shop window: Equi Fernandez (24), Aleix Garcia (29) and Robert Andrich (31).

Fernandez, by all accounts, is the most marketable asset. At 24, with room to grow and a profile that appeals across Europe, he could command a fee in the region of 20 million euros. His situation at the club has already been turbulent. He fell out with former coach Kasper Hjulmand, a rift that cast doubt over his long-term future. Under Carles Martinez, though, the relationship is said to be repaired, which gives Leverkusen a genuine decision to make: cash in on a valuable asset or keep a rejuvenated midfielder at a time of unexpected need.

Garcia’s case is different. The 29-year-old is understood to be open to a new challenge and can see himself moving on. The problem lies elsewhere: there is still a shortage of concrete, suitable offers. For now, his willingness to leave is not matched by a market ready to act.

That leaves Andrich. At 31, he brings experience and reliability in a squad suddenly deprived of one of its brightest young options. As things stand, all signs point to him staying put, a steadying presence in a midfield department that has lost a key piece before he could even kick a ball in anger for the club.

A meteoric rise, abruptly paused

Eichhorn’s story makes this setback feel all the more jarring. Last season, he forced his way into the starting XI at Hertha BSC in the 2. Bundesliga and stayed there. At 17, he was already a regular, a teenager dictating games in a notoriously unforgiving league.

It was not a spotless campaign. He missed matches through an ankle injury and served a suspension after a red card. Yet those bumps only added to the sense of a young player learning fast, toughening up, and proving he could handle senior football.

Scouts across Europe took notice. Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain all tracked him, a roll call that underlined just how highly he was rated. Leverkusen moved decisively, winning the race for his signature with a nine million euro deal that looked, even then, like a calculated investment in a future star.

He arrived as one of Europe’s most coveted young midfielders. Now, nobody inside or outside the club can say when he will be ready to start that journey in Leverkusen colours.

For the moment, the focus is not on pressing, passing lanes or tactical roles. It is on diagnosis, recovery and a teenager’s health. Only when those questions are answered will anyone dare ask the next one: when will Kennet Eichhorn finally get the chance to show the Bundesliga why half of Europe wanted him?