5 U23 Wide Forwards to Follow in the 2023/24 3. Liga
Today, I look at 5 wide forwards under the age of 23 who have the potential to be the next great exports from Germany’s national 3. Fußball-Liga.
Since 2008, Germany have operated with a national 3rd tier. The towering costs, limited television exposure, and admittance of U23 outfits have all irritated in recent years, but what can not be debated is the continuous line of talent that the league produces.
Over the past two decades, the likes of Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Chris Richards, and Robert Andrich all made their first senior steps in the 3rd-tier, using the competition as a springboard for a major career in Germany and abroad.
Today, I look at 5 wide forwards under the age of 23 who have the potential to be the next great exports from Germany’s national 3. Fußball-Liga.
Sean Seitz
As a 21-year-old making the step from the 4th tier to one of the most ambitious outfits in the 3. Liga, it was never a surefire proposition that Seitz would immediately acclimate into the Aue starting eleven. However, the German/Turkish national has done that and more, playing a considerable role in the East German outfit’s push for promotion. Seitz has started 80% of Aue’s league matches, contributing a respectable 3 goals & 1 assist.
Above all else, Seitz’s dynamic ball-carrying and incisive off-ball movement have made him such a tremendous success in the Erzgebirgsstadion. His powerful dribbling and immediate verticality make him a considerable threat in a counter-attacking system. He quickly eats up space and is constantly forcing opponents to engage in risky defensive duels. The numbers reflect this impressive ability to engage defenders, with Sean Seitz drawing the 3rd most fouls per 90 minutes in the division.
It’s also difficult to pin down where Seitz’s best position is due to his intriguing qualities on either flank. On the left, the Hoffenheim academy graduate is constantly looking to cut onto his stronger right foot and search for goal, whilst on the right, he offers far more in a creative role, driving to the byline and picking out teammates with various crossing techniques.
Physically Seitz must still mature into the senior game, and occasionally he struggles to connect passes in the final third, but all told, the 21-year-old is a considerable prospect whose dynamism and verticality should make him a strong prospect for clubs at a higher level.
Player Model: Karim Adeyemi
Peak Potential: Mid-Table Bundesliga Outfit
Daniel Kyerewaa
Though by no means a traditional wide forward (51% of his minutes have come in attacking midfield), Daniel Kyerewaa has all of the qualities to thrive at the 3. Liga level in a wide role. The Fortuna Düsseldorf academy graduate was signed by newly promoted preußen Münster in the summer, immediately adapting to the demands of the 3rd tier with an unquestioned place in Sascha Hildmann’s starting eleven.
Probably the first thing one recognizes when watching Kyerewaa is his athletic body mechanics. The 22-year-old has a superb low center of gravity that allows him to shift his weight and body shape with exceptional speed and fluidity. This gives Kyerewaa a significant edge in tight spaces using sharp turns and quick body shifts to maintain possession.
Reducing the German-Ghanaian midfielder down to purely physical qualities does a disservice, however, to his remarkable game intelligence. Kyerewaa always seems to have solutions in mind and is rarely caught dwelling on the ball. Every action he takes is purposeful and direct, implementing an adventurous passing game that highlights his creative outlook. Be it through his sharp and reliable 1-2 touch passing, or his vertical ball carrying, Kyerewaa is constantly engaging and forcing his opponents to make uncomfortable or risky decisions.
Kyerewaa is clearly thriving in what is only his first year of professional football, but there is still work to do for him to reach his full potential and ascend up the league system. Despite the youngster’s dynamic speed, one has the sense that Kyerewaa always wants the ball to feet to size up opponents and engage with possession in front of the backline. A more varied approach that incorporates in-behind off-ball movement would raise Kyerewaa’s threat and make him a more difficult prospect for opponents to defend. This is particularly important when looking at the youngster’s underwhelming direct output.
In over 1200 minutes, Kyerewaa has only registered 1 goal and 1 assist in the 3. Liga. There is definitely an argument that Kyerewaa could improve this output by increasing his level of healthy selfishness in the final third, and by applying more composure to finishing scenarios. At present, Kyerewaa frequently rushes into shots with a rashness that belies his true technical quality.
Player Model: Moritz-Broni Kwarteng
Peak Potential: The upper reaches of the 2. Bundesliga or a relegation-threatened Bundesliga outfit
Aaron Keller
For the first time since 2021, SpVgg Unterhaching are back in the professional football pyramid in Germany. The South German outfit have returned to the 3. Liga with a young squad that affords numerous academy prospects the opportunity to shine in the senior game. One such is 19-year-old Aaron Keller. The teenager didn’t play a single minute in Unterhaching’s promotion campaign, but in the 3. Liga, he has immediately left his mark on Marc Unterberger’s side.
The Swiss-born winger has featured in all 15 matches this season, constantly exciting with his qualities in frontal 1v1 duels. Keller has superb body feints and ball manipulations that allow him to twist fullbacks inside and out. His tempo manipulation while dribbling is already at an elite level, often teasing an opponent into committing to a challenge before accelerating away. Furthermore, Keller has excellent close control and a first touch that allows him to combine well with teammates and often threaten with quick 1-2 combination plays.
It is Keller’s inability to turn such raw talent into tangible output that has effectively kept him from reaching larger heights so far this season. Keller rarely gets into shooting positions (0.83 shots per 90 minutes), and when he does so, he often rushes these chances and lacks the necessary composure in key moments. A similar level of immaturity is also present in his general decision-making process in possession. Keller still has a tendency to engage in unnecessary creative duels in positions where a turnover can prove extremely costly to his side.
If the Swiss forward can improve his scoring output, and limit his turnovers in dangerous positions of the pitch, there is no reason why he can not mature into a promising Bundesliga player in the near future.
Player Model: Jens Petter Hauge
Peak Potential: A European Qualifier in a top 6-10 League
Julian Hettwer
Borussia Dortmund are, alongside SC Freiburg, the only Bundesliga club to be represented in the 3. Liga via their U23 outfit. As expected, BVB’s roster is both young and talented, a trademark one instantly associates with forward Julian Hettwer as well. The 20-year-old winger-come-striker was signed from league rivals MSV Duisburg in the summer, a transfer which has instantly paid off with Hettwer netting 5 goals and 5 assists in his first 14 matches in Dortmund.
It is what Hettwer delivers off the ball that sets him apart from most players at this level. Hettwer has excellent off-ball movement, seeking the ball in behind the opponent’s backline with well-timed incisive runs. He showcases an extremely dynamic turn of pace in these moments, stretching and frustrating a slow backline with his constant verticality. This directness to his play routinely gets him into high-quality scoring chances where he is either placed 1v1 with the opposition goalkeeper, or can cleanly lay off for a teammate to tap in.
On the ball, Hettwer retains his extremely vertical outlook. He eats up space when it is afforded to him, and he is quick to engage opponents when carrying possession. He is not the most refined technically - Hettwer struggles when isolated in a narrow 1v1 duel, and his short passing and link-up play is suboptimal - but in a direct counter-attacking outfit, Hettwer has unique qualities that set him apart.
Player Model: Timo Werner
Peak Potential: A relegation-threatened Bundesliga outfit prioritizing counter-attacking football
Jakob Lemmer
Jakob Lemmer is the oldest player to feature on this shortlist (23 yrs), but he is also the one with the greatest chance of stepping into a higher division already next season. Lemmer is playing a considerable role at current table-toppers Dynamo Dresden, featuring in 56% of available league minutes for the historic East German outfit gunning for promotion.
Like Julian Hettwer, Lemmer is at home on the right wing, but whereas the Dortmund II forward is constantly seeking space in behind the backline, Lemmer has a more ‘old-school’ interpretation of his wide role.
Lemmer is constantly pursuing opportunities to put crosses into the box for Dynamo Dresden’s strong forward targets. In fact, only 2 players in the 2023/24 3. Liga complete more crosses per 90 minutes than the 23-year old midfielder (5.89 per 90). Lemmer has exceptional quality in these moments, stemming from his well-rounded technique (he can implement driven cutbacks, dinked crosses, or in-swinging deliveries) and his quick and intelligent assessment of where teammates and defenders are placed.
Lemmer is also extremely efficient and mature when engaging in 1v1s or carrying possession. He does not over-commit or lose awareness when doing so, routinely beating one individual before releasing possession (via a cross or pass) to a better-placed teammate. Despite completing the 3rd most 1v1s in the 3. Liga (9.33 per 90), one has the feeling that Lemmer engages in these scenarios as a means to facilitate his crossing game, rather than as an end to goal-creation within itself.
As with every other player on the list, Lemmer is far from a finished product. Despite standing at a respectable 1,79m, Lemmer is often stifled when an opponent can initiate physical contact and reduce the forward’s ability to create separation. Furthermore, Lemmer is often uncomfortable when forced onto his left foot. Nowhere is this more evident than in ball–carrying scenarios where Lemmer always prioritizes his right foot.
As for finishing, Lemmer frequently showcases a strong, driven, cross-body technique, but in the box, the 23-year-old often lacks the composure and consistency to capatilise on high-quality chances.
Player Model: Jan-Niklas Beste
Peak Potential: Mid-Table 2. Bundesliga Outfit