Leeds United may have lost any hope of Robin Koch return after Europa Conference League heroics
This summer saw a mass exodus of players from Leeds United following the Whites’ relegation to the Championship, with several stars departing Elland Road on loan.
While the likes of Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra headed back to the Premier League with Bournemouth and Marc Roca returned to Spain, Robin Koch opted to return to Germany and the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt on a season-long loan.
The German has got off to an excellent start with his new club and seems to be going from strength to strength, including a commanding display in the Europa Conference League on Thursday evening (27 October) against Finnish club FJK.
Koch captained the side and popped up with his second goal of Frankfurt’s European campaign as the German side tore apart their Finnish opposition in an incredibly comprehensive 6-0 win to send them to second in Group G.
The 27-year-old put in an impressive performance in the middle of the German side’s back three, winning both of his two attempted tackles in the game and coming out on top in two of his three aerial duels as he played the full 90 minutes [Fotmob].
On the ball the Leeds United loanee was similarly excellent, completing 88 per cent of his 72 attempted passes as Frankfurt dominated the ball with 59 per cent possession, including three balls into the final third and he was accurate with four of his five attempted long passes.
The only criticism levelled at the German was the fact that he was dribbled past on three occasions during the clash, but he did manage to block one shot and make a seven-ball recoveries to ensure that his mistakes weren’t too costly.
With reports suggesting that talks can begin in January for Frankfurt to sign Koch on a permanent deal, with his contract at Elland Road expiring at the end of the 2023/24 season [Sport1, 19 October], it seems likely that the German club will be keen to make his stay permanent.
Similarly, the 27-year-old seems very happy with his new club, being quoted by German outlet Kicker (22 October) as saying: “I feel very comfortable here and have thought about the decision very carefully. I feel like I’m in perfect hands at Eintracht at the moment and I want to achieve a lot here.”
Currently, it feels incredibly unlikely that we’ll see Koch line up again in a Leeds kit next season, with all roads seemingly leading to a permanent stay in Germany.
In other Leeds United news, it has been revealed that the Whites will have to pay a record fee for one summer transfer target