5 potential breakout stars to watch in the 2026/27 Bundesliga season
A new Bundesliga season on the horizon means a new opportunity for some of the league's brightest talents to make a name for themselves, but who will step up the coming campaign? We've picked out five youngsters to watch out for in 2026/27.
Kennet Eichhorn
Age: 16 (born 27 July 2009)
Position: Central midfield
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Eichhorn rose to prominence as a record-breaking 16-year-old in Hertha Berlin’s 2025/26 Bundesliga 2 campaign, appearing 19 times across the league and DFB Cup for them. He notched two goals on the way to becoming one of the most highly sought-after young talents in Europe, with Leverkusen beating off serious competition for his signature.
More of a deep-lying playmaker who makes his team tick with supreme composure and an eye for a pass, Eichhorn has displayed maturity beyond his years so far in his early career, and he’s a player that many neutrals will also have their eye on in 2026/27, not just Werkself fans.
"With Kennet, we now have one of the best German talents in our ranks," enthused Leverkusen’s managing director Simon Rolfes of the midfield magician following his signing.
Watch: An early Eichhorn highlights reel
Kerim Alajbegović
Age: 18 (born 21 September 2007)
Position: Left wing
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
The Cologne-born forward began his footballing journey in the Billy Goats' academy, before joining rivals Leverkusen in 2021. He spent four years in the Werkself’s ranks, before Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg took a chance on him in the summer of 2025. He quickly became a key player for his new side, making 44 appearances for them in 2025/26, his first season in professional football.
He scored 13 goals and registered four assists to be named the Austrian Bundesliga's Player of the Season. It was form which also earned him a call-up to the Bosnia and Herzegovina senior national team in September 2025. He’s since made 13 appearances for Bosnia, and recently scored in their 3-1 win against Qatar in their Group B fixture at the FIFA World Cup 2026, which earned him Player of the Match plaudits and helped Bosnia book their place in the next stage of the tournament.
Alajbegović’s sublime 2026/26 campaign put clubs across Europe on alert but Leverkusen were quickest to act, activating their buy-back clause and securing him on a five-year contract
Wisdom Mike
Age: 17 (born 24 September 2008)
Position: Left wing
Club: Bayern Munich
At just 17 years old, Mike already has a handful of Bayern appearances under his belt and could follow in the footsteps of teammate Lennart Karl by having a show-stopping 2026/27 campaign.
The dazzling winger made his Bayern bow against Hoffenheim on Matchday 6 of the 2025/26 season just a couple of days after turning 17, making him the club’s third-youngest ever debutant ahead of the likes of Karl and Jamal Musiala. Mike went onto have three more Bundesliga run-outs, as well as make his Champions League debut against Club Brugge.
Mike’s direct, unpredictable dribbling style and ability to produce moments of magic have seen him fly through Bayern’s ranks and start knocking on the first-team door. With Vincent Kompany clearly not afraid to give young talent a chance - and Mike clearly at the front of the queue - next season could see him given more opportunities to show what he can do.
Samuele Inácio
Age: 18 (born 2 April 2008)
Position: Attacking midfield
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Signed in 2024 from Serie A side Atalanta’s youth ranks, Dortmund’s Italian gem rose to the spotlight in the latter stages of 2025/26, making seven appearances, four of which were starts, between Matchdays 24 and 34.
He netted once in that time and caught the eye with his energetic performances as Niko Kovač’s side secured a second-place finish in the league. A creative midfielder who is most comfortable in the pocket of space behind the striker, Inácio’s ability to unnerve defences was clear to see immediately, with his coach even likening him to outgoing BVB star Julian Brandt.
“He could – even if only in quotation marks for now – perhaps become Jule's replacement somewhere,” claimed Kovač.
Noah Darvich
Age: 19 (born 9 September 2006)
Position: Attacking midfield / right wing
Club: Elversberg (on loan from VfB Stuttgart)
Having spent time in boyhood club Freiburg’s ranks, Darvich made the huge step to sign for Barcelona’s academy in 2023, where he spent two years before returning to Germany with Stuttgart.
“It was a great adventure. It was like being part of a movie. I got to play and train with my childhood idols,” said Darvich on his time in Catalonia. Now though, Darvich is ready to write his own story, with a loan move to newly promoted Elversberg providing him with the opportunity to strut his stuff in Germany’s top tier.
Unfortunately, that opportunity didn’t come for him under Sebastian Hoeneß last season, with the competition for places in Stuttgart’s midfield as they fought for a Champions League place and consecutive DFB Cup wins making life difficult for the youngster.
Darvich now joins an Elversberg side known for both providing young talent with a platform to shine and playing free-flowing, attacking football.
