Leverkusen Faces Setback with Eichhorn's Health Crisis

Bayer Leverkusen’s summer coup has turned into a worrying story. Instead of fighting for a place in midfield, 17-year-old Kennet Eichhorn is in hospital, battling a metabolic illness that has abruptly halted one of Europe’s most promising careers in its tracks.

The alarm bells started ringing in mid-July. Eichhorn, a new signing and a teenager still growing into his frame, suddenly shed five kilos in just five days due to a gastrointestinal infection. What initially looked like an aggressive but temporary bug revealed something far more serious. Doctors have now diagnosed a metabolic illness, and Eichhorn is receiving inpatient treatment while specialists search for the cause and work to rebuild his strength.

For Leverkusen, the sporting consequences are brutal. According to Sport Bild, the club expects a lengthy absence and has stopped planning with Eichhorn for the entire first half of the season. There is no timetable for his return. No talk of “weeks” or “months.” Just uncertainty.

It’s a jarring twist for a player who arrived as one of the headline signings of the window. Leverkusen paid nine million euros to bring Eichhorn in after his breakthrough season with Hertha BSC in the 2. Bundesliga. At Hertha, he forced his way into the starting XI as a regular, despite interruptions from an ankle injury and a suspension following a red card. His talent was obvious, his trajectory steep.

So was the interest. Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain all tracked him. Scouts filed glowing reports, recruitment teams made calls, and Europe’s elite circled. Leverkusen moved decisively and won the race, betting that they were securing the next great all-action central midfielder.

Now that plan is on hold.

Eichhorn’s absence has immediate knock-on effects for the squad. Originally, Leverkusen had been prepared to sell two central midfielders to streamline the group and fund further moves. With the 17-year-old out of the picture for months, that strategy has been quietly shelved. Only one midfielder is now expected to leave.

Midfielders Under the Spotlight

Inside the dressing room, three names sit under the spotlight: Equi Fernandez (24), Aleix Garcia (29) and Robert Andrich (31).

Fernandez is the most marketable asset. At 24, with room to grow and a profile that appeals across Europe, he could fetch around 20 million euros. His situation at the club has already seen turbulence; he previously fell out with former coach Kasper Hjulmand, a rift that threatened to push him towards the exit. Under Carles Martinez, the tone has changed. Their relationship is said to be on solid ground again, which complicates the decision. Cash in on a valuable player, or keep a now-settled midfielder in a season where depth might prove crucial?

Garcia, at 29, stands at a different career crossroads. He can imagine a move, and the idea of a new challenge is on the table. The problem lies elsewhere: the market. Suitable suitors have not yet stepped forward with the right offer, leaving his future suspended in a kind of transfer limbo. The willingness is there, the pathway is not.

And then there is Andrich. At 31, he represents experience, reliability, and a known quantity in the Bundesliga. As things stand, all signs point to him staying. With Eichhorn out and the club wary of over-trimming the core of its midfield, Andrich’s profile suddenly looks even more valuable. He is the steady hand in a department that has lost its brightest young spark before a ball has even been kicked in anger.

For Leverkusen’s hierarchy, this is the kind of scenario that tests planning and patience. The club did its homework, invested early, and built a pathway for a prodigy. Now, they must pivot: support the player through a serious illness, protect his long-term future, and still keep the team competitive in a season loaded with expectations.

For Eichhorn, the picture is more personal, and far more stark. A year ago he was fighting for minutes in the 2. Bundesliga. By the end of last season, he had become a regular and one of the division’s standout young midfielders. This summer, he walked into a dressing room gearing up for title challenges and Champions League nights. The next step, the big leap, felt imminent.

Instead, the challenge in front of him is not a pressing opponent or a packed fixture list, but a medical chart.

When he will make his breakthrough at Leverkusen is now an open question. The club can wait. The talent that drew Bayern, Liverpool, City, Real Madrid and PSG will not disappear overnight. But football moves quickly, and so do seasons. The real test, once he returns, will be whether this setback becomes a footnote in a great career—or the moment that changed its course.