In a recent interview, Eintracht Frankfurt loanee Robin Koch has claimed that there was ‘extreme risk’ taken at the back last season, which may have led to the club’s relegation to the Championship.
Robin Koch was one of Marcelo Bielsa’s first signings of the Premier League era, coming in from Freiburg for an initial £11.5 million fee which rose to £13 million, as per Goal, but after the Peacocks were condemned to the second tier, the German international sought a loan move elsewhere.
During the summer, Bild (via Leeds All Over) reported that Koch was one of many Leeds United players with a clause in their contract allowing them to leave Elland Road for free if the team were relegated to the Championship.
However, Leeds Live claimed that these reports were ‘wide of the mark’ and insisted that if Koch left the Yorkshire club on a permanent basis, a suitor would have to pay compensation to Leeds United.
In the end, the centre-back didn’t leave permanently, instead securing a season-long loan move to Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt.
Speaking on the official Eintracht Frankfurt Podcast, Koch discussed what went wrong for the Peacocks last season, admitting that ‘extreme risk’ was taken at the back when pressing high up the pitch [quotes via Caught Offside]:
“In Leeds, there was a lot of pressing and therefore extreme risk at the back.
“Of course, it’s more pleasant for a defender to keep a clean sheet or generally concede few goals.”
Writer’s View
There is nothing inherently wrong with Koch’s comments. Leeds conceded more goals than any other side in the Premier League last season, with many coming under Jesse Marsch’s high-risk approach to pressing.
However, given the 27-year-old is still contracted to Leeds, his comments may be a little distasteful to certain fans, especially since the defender left in the summer rather than staying to take the team back up.
