When Bayern Munich exited negotiations with Kennet Eichhorn, it gave an opening for a Bundesliga club to appeal to Eichhorn’s desire to stay in Germany — and Bayer Leverkusen did just that.
On Wednesday, Die Werkself secured the phenom’s signature on a long-term contract. Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, the contract will run through 2031.
Of course, Bayer Leverkusen was thrilled to get the phenom as it issued this release on its website:
Bayer 04 have signed 16-year-old defensive midfielder
Kennet Eichhorn from Hertha Berlin. The Germany U17 international is joining the Werkself from the Berlin Bundesliga 2 club on a long-term contract. Eichhorn made 19 appearances for the Hertha Berlin first team last season, scoring two goals.
“We are very happy we were able to convince Kennet Eichhorn of our approach. We were already in close contact with Kennet and his family a year ago, and even back then we formed a good bond,” said Bayer 04 Managing Director Sport Simon Rolfes. “That was also always evident in this year’s talks. Kennet shares our view that Bayer 04 offers the best conditions for him to develop into an absolute top player in the Bundesliga. The talks with our head coach Carles Martínez were also characterised by great agreement on footballing issues and mutual trust,” said Rolfes. “With Kennet, we now have one of the best German talents in our ranks.”
Born in Bernau near Berlin, Eichhorn caused a stir in his respective age groups from an early age. His impressive performances as a 16-year-old as a number six in the physically demanding Bundesliga 2 finally made him one of the most sought-after young players in Germany. “After really very good talks, I 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 Eichhorn, who can also play in central midfield. He will wear the number 18 jersey at Bayer 04. “I will do everything I can to follow a similar path here. I’m really looking forward to taking my next steps at such an exciting, top European club like Bayer 04.”
Bayern Munich will get a chance to measure up how successful Eichhorn becomes very closely. Will the Bavarians regret not taking the leap for Eichhorn or exhale and think they dodged a bullet? Time will tell.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- New, improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
