Kevin Schade: The Premier League’s Most Underrated Forward

Whether it be Bryan Mbeumo, who moved on to 13-time Premier League champions Manchester United, Yoane Wissa, who earned a blockbuster move to Newcastle United, Ivan Toney, who departed for sunnier shores with Al-Ahli, or Premier League champion and 3-time Golden Glove winner David Raya, Brentford have had numerous superstars pass through the Gtech Community Stadium since their promotion from the Championship in 2021. Whilst the likes of Mikkel Damsgaard, Mamadou Sangaré and Igor Thiago each look destined to continue this trend, Kevin Schade shines the brightest.

Despite receiving relatively little media attention, the 5-capped Germany international has been a revelation in recent years, thriving in a side where turnover has been more common than stability. However, whilst such success suggests linear progression, Schade did not always look destined to succeed in West London.

Initially arriving on loan in the 2022/23 January window, the then 21-year-old struggled across his first six months in England, failing to score across 18 Premier League appearances. Whilst such goalscoring numbers can often be deceiving, Schade’s early ineffectiveness was backed up by his underlying numbers. Just 0.49 shots on target and 0.99 chances created per ninety did little to suggest Brentford had found the heir to Mbeumo, who averaged 1.01 shots on target and 1.57 chances created per ninety across the same period.

Despite his struggles, Schade’s impressive pace and strong dribbling ability encouraged the Bees to part with a club-record fee of £22m for the German winger ahead of the 2023/24 season. Leaving SC Freiburg, where Schade had begun his professional career having progressed through their academy, permanently would prove difficult for the young winger. Suffering an adductor injury in September that caused him to miss 36 games, Schade made just three Premier League starts across the campaign.

Given such difficulties, it would have been easy to assume the winger’s struggles would continue upon his return to competitive football. Instead, his shots on target increased to 1.09 per ninety and his big chances created to 0.54, whilst Brentford also benefited from significant increases in the German’s defensive output.

Having scored his first Premier League goal in the 2023/24 season, Schade has shown no signs of slowing down. 73 appearances, 58 starts, 19 goals and five assists followed over the subsequent 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons. The German truly made his presence felt in the Premier League. Kevin Schade had arrived.
Whilst this uptick in form has been impressive, what makes it truly exceptional is the context within which it has occurred.

Over the last few seasons, the Gtech has seen an unusual level of turnover, losing star players such as Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard, as well as manager Thomas Frank and numerous members of his coaching staff.

For many players, losing the manager who brought you to the club and some of your best teammates would result in a drop in form. For Schade, it has given him the opportunity to shine.

Now 24, Kevin Schade has carved out a real niche for himself in the Premier League. A direct and explosive winger with exceptional finishing ability and physical attributes, Schade has become a player defences fear. However, whilst his technical acumen, prowess in front of goal and determination combine to make an exceptional winger, Schade also possesses one truly elite skill that catapults him from dangerous to deadly.

It is often said that to be an elite player, alongside being exceptionally gifted, you must have at least one truly special attribute, and for Schade this attribute is his pace. Having recorded a top speed of 22.6mph during his time at SC Freiburg, Schade is a player who forces his opposition to change their approach. His ability to rapidly attack space can destabilise defensive structures, weaken opposition build-up play and create opportunities for both himself and his teammates. A player capable of having this effect on a Premier League defence is rare, and Schade’s pace provides him with a weapon that few defenders can comfortably account for.

Despite this, Schade appears to attract relatively little attention from elite clubs and the media alike. Whilst similarly profiling players such as Yankuba Minteh, Antony Gordon and Harvey Barnes steal the headlines and attract huge transfer fees, Schade continues to put up strong numbers away from the spotlight.

There is an argument that this lack of attention could actually be to Schade’s benefit. Brentford have become accustomed to developing players before selling them for significant profits, but Schade’s continued presence at the club has allowed him to develop without the same level of expectation placed upon players who arrive at bigger clubs for enormous fees. Rather than being expected to immediately become the star, Schade has gradually become one.

Having started the 2026/27 Premier League season with a goal in gameweek two against Leeds United, there is little reason to believe that Schade’s development has reached its ceiling. The German is no longer the inexperienced forward who arrived from Freiburg struggling to find his place in English football. He is now an established Premier League winger, capable of contributing goals, creating opportunities and, perhaps most importantly, forcing opposition defences to react to him.

At 24, the German is entering a period where his experience, physical development and confidence can combine to produce the best football of his career. He already possesses the pace to terrify defenders, the physicality to compete with Premier League opponents and the finishing ability to punish teams who give him space. What remains is for the wider footballing world to recognise just how dangerous that combination can be.

Brentford have already watched numerous players leave the Gtech and become household names elsewhere and, if his current trajectory continues, Kevin Schade could be the next player to follow that path.
For now, however, Schade remains something of a hidden weapon, quietly producing performances that will eventually force the rest of the Premier League to take notice.

The question is no longer whether Kevin Schade is good enough to succeed in the Premier League. He has already answered that. The question is how far he can go once everyone realises just how good he is.