If you don’t regularly follow the 2.Bundesliga, or German football in general, then you might not know Kennet Eichhorn. A Berlin native, and Hertha BSC academy product, Eichhorn has been a regular starter in the Hertha senior team since the start of the 2025-26 season, shortly after turning 16 years old. Not rushed in by his manager, Eichhorn played in just 67 minutes over the first 5 matches of Hertha’s season. Given his first start on 13th September 2025 in an away match at Hannover 96, Eichhorn showed he belonged with a very strong game, contributing to a 3-0 victory. Since then, he has been a regular in the starting XI. This past weekend, Kennet Eichhorn had a breakout performance against Schalke, operating with ruthless efficiency: 8/9 dribbles completed, 15/19 duels won, 6 recoveries/interceptions, and was his side’s best player in the 0-0 draw. Eichhorn usually operates as a defensive midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 shape. I believe Eichhorn is a top prospect, and that any club in Europe’s Top 5 leagues should be doing everything in their power to try to sign him. More on Kennet Eichhorn’s abilities below, as assessed in his match against Schalke 04:
Physical Attributes
The simplest way I can summarize Eichhorn’s physical level is that he does not look like a 16 year old playing in a league known for its physicality. From watching him on the pitch alone, it would be very difficult to guess how young Eichhorn is. He showed very good balance and strength in this match, both on and off the ball. Several of his dribbles that he completed were due to his ability to stay on his feet after taking contact. Eichhorn also showed remarkably strong agility, especially considering he is still growing into his full physical frame – young players can often look a little uncoordinated while undergoing growth spurts and getting used to their body. Eichhorn’s jumping reach is at a good level to compete in the 2.Bundesliga against much older players, shown with his 60% aerial duel win rate. While his speed is not eye-catching, elite speed is hardly required of him in his midfield controller role, and off the ball Eichhorn could keep pace with most players on the pitch. With physicality being one of the areas that has the most room for growth as Eichhorn ages, the level he is currently at is very promising. Barring any major injuries, I see no reason why Eichhorn’s physicality will hold him back in the future.
Psychological Attributes:
The mental-side of Kennet Eichhorn’s game was equally as impressive as the physicality, given his age. When on the ball, he carries himself with calmness and composure, and doesn’t look to panic under pressure. His pitch vision is at a very high level – Eichhorn regularly was able to see good long ball opportunities, or switches of play, and rarely looked to run himself into corners. At times he has shown flashes of the types of passes that Kevin de Bruyne was so well known for, which is very exciting. He showed consistent communication with his teammates throughout the match and encouraged positive play, taking a small leadership role already. While not regularly making box-crashing runs, Eichhorn’s off the ball movement in possession was generally strong, taking up positions in pockets of space to receive the ball. Out of possession, as the more advanced of the double pivot, Eichhorn showed good anticipation of when to jump up and press high. Over this season in the 2.Bundesliga, Eichhorn is regaining possession in the final third around once every two matches – which is impressive considering his general deeper out of possession position. He showed ample bravery in duels and challenges, with no fear of challenging a stronger opponent. Just before halftime, Eichhorn showed the awareness to recognize that a yellow card was worth stopping a dangerous Schalke 2-on-1 counterattack. Despite the circumstances warranting a yellow card most of the time, Eichhorn did not foul overly aggressively, leaving room for a bit of doubt in the referee’s mind on whether it was a foul. This was just one example of how the way Eichhorn thinks seems to be beyond his years. I did notice that Eichhorn could improve on defensive concentration when defending off-the-ball around his box, at times being caught ball-watching and slightly out of position. However this is something that improves with experience and does not concern me, especially given Eichhorn’s impressive midfield positioning and interceptions in the middle third. The foundation is solid.
Technical:
Kennet Eichhorn’s technical ability is already at a very high level. His first touch and ball control were regularly excellent and he was never dispossessed in this match. As far as defensive midfielders go, Eichhorn’s progressive dribbling ability is outstanding. He showed quick feet and the technique to complement his strong agility/balance, twisting and turning quickly to evade defenders while maintaining control of the ball. Eichhorn looks to be a predominantly right-footed player, but looks fairly strong on his left as well, having scored several weak footed goals for Hertha already in his young career. Adding in his expansive passing range and impressive ball delivery, Eichhorn has the foundation to become a truly world class deep-lying playmaker. On several occasions this season, Eichhorn has shown a great ability to pick out a through ball, often bent around a retreating defender. While scoring opportunities are not frequent for Eichhorn given his role within the team, over the course of this season he has shown a fairly solid shooting ability, netting a goal in the DFB-Pokal as well. As he is very comfortable positioning himself just outside of the box in attack, further development of both his finishing and long shots would make him a very well-rounded midfielder. Overall, Eichhorn has as good of a technical base as you could hope for in a 16 year old defensive midfielder, and he can only improve from this point.
Overall Summary and Potential:
Kennet Eichhorn is in a very good position to one day reach his top potential – there are no glaring weaknesses in his game, especially in the attributes required to play his role. Eichhorn profiles as a midfield controller, deep-lying playmaker. He prefers starting from deeper positions, but is comfortable using his strong dribbling ability to make progressive runs. Eichhorn does not show a strong desire to crash the 18-yard box in possession, and seems very well suited to the role he is asked to play at Hertha. Playing as the DM with more freedom in a double pivot allows Eichhorn to make the most of his very well-rounded abilities, while not requiring him to be a regular scoring presence. This is a defensive midfielder inspired by Sergio Busquets, Toni Kroos, Kevin de Bruyne, and Mousa Dembele, showing shades of each player in different moments in the match. After goalkeepers and centrebacks, defensive midfield is often where players reach their prime latest. This makes the performances Kennet Eichhorn is putting in at 16 years old all the more impressive. If this is what he can do now, what will he be doing at 20, or 26 years old?
I believe that Eichhorn’s potential ability is to be Germany’s starting defensive midfielder for the better part of 10-15 years. Julian Nagelsmann has shown no reluctance to cap young players into the Germany senior squad, and if Eichhorn continues at this rate, I would not be surprised if he was in contention for a 2030 World Cup roster spot. In terms of club, it would be shocking if Bayern Munich haven’t already identified Eichhorn as one of their next moves, as he is showing a consistently strong level in the 2.Bundesliga at 16. Hertha BSC will not be able to demand the types of fees for their starboy as other clubs might be able to, so in terms of value for money, this is a transfer that any top club should be considering.
Kennet Eichhorn might be the best 16 year old defensive midfielder that I’ve ever seen play. This is a truly exciting prospect, for whom the sky is the limit.
Kennet Eichhorn is One To Watch.
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-LM
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