Leeds United snapped up defender Robin Koch this summer, and that looks to be a major coup for the Whites.
Koch, 24, starred with Freiburg in Germany having joined from Kaiserslauten in 2017, and he was attracting major interest.
Leeds ended up signing Koch for a fee believed to be around £13million, which seemed a more than fair price for a player with three Germany caps to his name.
Koch arrived with big shoes to fill having replaced Ben White, and it’s fair to say that his Premier League career didn’t get off to the best of starts.
He gave away a penalty in each of his first two games, but was outstanding against both Sheffield United and Manchester City.
Koch appears to be settling in at Leeds, and he has now spoken to Sport1 back in Germany about his move to Elland Road.
Koch admitted that Leeds first wanted him when they were in the Championship, and he was honest in saying that he wasn’t sure about the move at first, but gradually became more and more convinced, telling his agent he fancied Leeds over other clubs.
The defender added that Leeds have ‘big plans’ in the coming years, and detailed a remarkable PowerPoint presentation in which Leeds had analysed Koch’s play at Freiburg, which he had never experienced before.
“Leeds’ interest came early,” said Koch. “I have to honestly say that at the time I didn’t immediately say: ‘Wow, I’ll do that right away.’ At the time, the club was still playing in the Championship and it was not certain that they would be promoted to the Premier League. Over time, however, the interest grew and I became more and more involved with the club. At some point I told my agent that I could actually imagine moving to Leeds despite several requests from other clubs. The more I dealt with the club, the more it worked for me. Leeds is no normal climber. The club has big plans for the next few years. ”
“Leeds sent me a kind of PowerPoint presentation. In it I could see exactly how coach Marcelo Bielsa and the scouts analysed me and how I fit into the style of play at Leeds. Video sequences were played to me in which game situations from Leeds were cut parallel to those from me in Freiburg from last season. I’ve really never had anything like it. I had the feeling that I’ve never been analysed in such detail, especially since I wasn’t even a player in the club. That really impressed me and was a key factor in my decision,” he added.
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