Robin Koch responds to ‘frustration’ and ‘anger’ at Leeds United after permanent Elland Road exit deal signed – Phil Hay
Robin Koch has said he understands the “frustration” and “anger” caused by his exit from Leeds United after relegation, according to Phil Hay.
The Athletic journalist shared on The Square Ball on 19 January the answer he received from the on-loan Whites defender after he signed a deal to remain at Eintracht Frankfurt past the end of the season earlier this month.
The German acknowledged the displeasure felt among supporters at Elland Road, and in the boardroom [Square Ball, 7 September], but says he had to do what was best for his career in leaving.
Hay said (45m 5s): “You’ll have seen Robin Koch signing for Eintracht Frankfurt last week, agreeing a permanent deal which will kick in when his contract at Leeds ends in the summer.
“I was asked if I wanted to ask some questions of Koch, so I basically sent him a list of questions saying, ‘Do you understand the kind of frustration, and the anger, with all this?’
“To which he said, ‘Well, yeah I kind of do but I had to sort of do what’s best for my career’.”
“Everybody’s entitled to take that decision, but I think at the same time everybody’s entitled to take a view of players making that decision too.”
Is what it is
Both perspectives are valid when it comes to Koch, and to a certain extent to other players who took advantage of relegation release clauses to quickly jump ship in the summer.
Football is a business and relegation isn’t enjoyable for anyone, so if a player has been given a route straight back into the top flight in a top five European league they are entitled to take it since their main concern will be them and their family.
At the same time, for those whose play was a large part of the reason for the relegation in the first place, they cannot expect to be held in especially high regard by the fans, whose allegiance is to the club itself.
From the sounds of things Koch knows and accepts that, and given the Whites had failed to tie him to a new contract despite managing to do so with the likes of Diego Llorente and Pascal Struijk last season, his departure is perhaps no great surprise.
It is certainly frustrating at Elland Road that he will leave for nothing when he could feasibly have brought in a decent fee, but having become a regular in Frankfurt, who currently sit in the European places in the Bundesliga, the 27-year-old looks to have secured the outcome he wanted and will take criticism in West Yorkshire on the chin.
He may have been far more effective in the Championship than he was in the Premier League last term, but Daniel Farke’s squad isn’t missing him on the pitch this term.
Koch and Leeds United looked set to part ways at the end of his contract one way or another so in practice the loan merely sped that process up.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites have been backed to sign a Premier League defender who has the “quality” to fit in at Elland Road.
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