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Ahead of the winter break in Germany, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 515 2. Bundesliga players. It is a historic update for Germany’s second division. Hertha Berlin’s 16-year-old wonderkid Kennet Eichhorn saw his market value increase to €20 million. The increase of €14m means Eichhorn is now by some distance the most valuable player in the 2. Bundesliga. Indeed, young talents dominate the market value table of Germany’s second division. While Eichhorn now towers at the very top, the ranking of the most valuable players in Germany’s second division is dominated by young talent.
There are only a few records that Eichhorn hasn’t broken yet this season. The midfielder became the youngest player in the history of the 2. Bundesliga, the youngest starter in the second division, the youngest goalscorer in the history of the DFB Pokal. In terms of market values, he has also set a new benchmark. Back in the 2024/25 season, Nürnberg’s Stefanos Tzismas reached a market value of €22m. But at that point, the Greek forward was already signed by Brighton and played in the league on loan. Eichhorn reached his benchmark without being signed by another club and having a significant transfer fee on the books.
“Eichhorn is an absolute top talent,” Transfermarkt Market Value Coordinator Tobias Kröger said. “Last summer, several Bundesliga clubs tried to sign the then 15-year-old. Now 16, he is a crucial player at Hertha and European top clubs want to sign him. The €20m market value reflects the high interest that is surrounding his name. Under head coach Stefan Leitl, Eichhorn has been deemed irreplaceable. Despite his age, the 186 cm-tall midfielder has a strong physical presence, which he combines with a fantastic technique and excellent decision-making. His new market value puts him in the same category as Bayern’s wonderkid Lennart Karl and German national team players Deniz Undav, David Raum, and Nadiem Amiri (the Bundesliga update is on Dec.19.
Market values 2. Bundesliga: Onyeka, Ayhan, Aseko and Seimen players to watch
Another young player to watch in the 2. Bundesliga is VfL Bochum’s 18-year-old midfielder Francis Onyeka. The midfielder, who is on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, has scored four goals and one assist in 13 2. Bundesliga games for Bochum in the first half of the season. “The 18-year-old has an outstanding technique and stood out for both Bochum and the youth national teams,” Kröger said. “It will be fascinating to see what his next steps are going to be and whether he will be given a chance at Bayer Leverkusen.” With a market value increase of €5m from €1m to €6m, Onyeka is now one of the three most valuable players playing in the German second division.
German giants Schalke 04, in the meantime, seem set to return to the Bundesliga. Die Knappen have dominated the 2. Bundesliga thus far, and one big reason has been defender Mertcan Ayhan. “The 19-year-old center-back is the latest talent to be developed in the Knappenschmiede,” Transfermarkt Market Value Admin Julius Weißenstein said. “He is very much in the spotlight now after starting the season mostly on the bench. But for a few weeks now, he has been a crucial part of the league’s best defense.” With that in mind, it makes sense that Ayhan saw his market value increase by €3.6m to €4m, which is the most significant increase for any Schalke player.
Two other young talents to watch are Paderborn’s goalkeeper Dennis Seimen and Hannover’s midfielder Noel Aseko. “It is no secret that Dennis Seimen is a top goalkeeper,” Paderborn head coach Ralf Kettemann said in an interview with Transfermarkt.de. “He has performed as a regular starter in front of a big audience. It wasn’t certain that he would have that sort of development, and it is to his credit that he met the high expectations placed in him.” One of the most considerable goalkeeper talents in German football, Seimen saw his market value increase from €3m to €7m. On loan from VfB Stuttgart, the goalkeeper is expected to replace Alexander Nübel next season.
Also on loan from a top club is Aseko. The 20-year-old plays on loan from Bayern Munich at Hannover 96 and is being scouted by several Bundesliga and Premier League clubs. “We have been following Noel’s path for some time and always knew that he has enormous potential,” Hannover CEO Marus Mann said to Transfermarkt. “After struggling a bit last season, he has now shown his potential.” The German U20 national team player saw his market value increase by €3m to €6m.
How Transfermarkt market values work
The Transfermarkt market values are calculated, taking into account various pricing models. A major factor is the Transfermarkt community, whose members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, the Transfermarkt market values are not to be equated with transfer fees.
The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).
