Leeds United defender Robin Koch is “ready to fly” to the Bundesliga to complete his temporary move to Eintracht Frankfurt, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.
When did Robin Koch join Leeds?
The Whites centre-back has spent the past three years at Elland Road having first joined from SC Freiburg back in August 2020. Across the reigns of Marcelo Bielsa, Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce, he’s been a regular feature of the first-team, having started 36 from 38 top-flight games last season.
However, the 26-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the next campaign meaning that the ongoing window will be Daniel Farke’s only chance to cash in should he not want to risk losing him for free, but despite this possibility, it sounds as if he is happy to take a short-term chance.
The Athletic have reported that the Championship outfit would be willing to get the German off their wage bill as a result of him earning £40k-per-week in order to secure a loan fee as part of a deal to send him out for 12 months, and he isn’t the only one to have been linked with an exit.
According to reports, Brenden Aaronson is close to sealing a temporary move to Union Berlin and Marc Roca is also on the verge of linking up with Real Betis, with the latter’s respective switch believed to hold an option to buy, and the defender could soon be following in their footsteps.
Is Koch leaving Leeds?
Taking to Twitter on Wednesday evening, Plettenberg revealed that Koch is all set to hop on a plane overseas to finalise his imminent move to Eintracht Frankfurt. He wrote:
“No doubts, Robin #Koch will join @Eintracht! Confirmed again: It’s a one-year loan! Regardless of the fact that his contract expires in 2024! Koch, ready to fly to Germany. The medical check could take place in the next 48 hours. Been told: Krosche was a crucial factor in this deal!”
Is Farke right to sell Koch?
Leeds will be aware that Koch isn’t one to get involved with the action in the final third having recorded zero goals or assists during his three years at the club, but being strong in the natural defensive aspect of his game and more importantly a “real leader”, as lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, Farke and the 49ers are making a mistake by letting him go.
The 11 Wins client last season averaged 4.1 clearances, 3.1 aerial wins and 1.5 tackles per top-flight game, via WhoScored, so he was a real rock at the heart of the backline despite the group’s collective efforts not being enough to save them from suffering relegation.
The Kaiserslautern native is also a versatile operator having been deployed in five different positions since the start of his career, including all across the backline and even two roles in the midfield, so he would have been a fantastic option to have available given the relentless fixtures in the second tier, but this is a quality that the boss will have to be without next season.
