Robin Koch makes supporter admission as he breaks silence on Leeds United exit | OneFootball

Highlights

Leeds United are currently well-placed to mount a promotion challenge in the Championship, as Daniel Farke's men look to right the wrongs of a disastrous 2022/23 campaign which ended in a final-day relegation.

As is often the case with the three teams that came down from the Premier League, and in last summer's case, more so than ever, a mass exodus of players would depart from Elland Road alongside fellow relegated outfits Leicester City and Southampton.

A number of departures from West Yorkshire were on a temporary basis, which led to further eyebrows being raised in terms of mismanagement by the Whites' previous ownership.

And as the Whites begin their second transfer window with Paraag Marathe at the helm as far as the boardroom is concerned, one of those men has recently confirmed their permanent exit from Elland Road.

German centre-back Robin Koch was initially one of nine senior players in Leeds' ranks to make a temporary switch, as he returned to the Bundesliga to join Dino Topmoller's Eintracht Frankfurt outfit.

However, the man who set Leeds back an estimated £11.5m after their promotion to the Premier League in 2020 will now be staying at the Deutsche Bank Park after signing a permanent pre-contract as his deal at Elland Road reached its final six months as the season ticked over into the new year.

This will see him extend his stay with the German outfit until the summer of 2027 after Leeds were powerless to resist an initial departure back in the summer, with Frankfurt taking up the full cost of his wages as per The Athletic.

The man who used this opportunity as a chance to return to the German national team also revealed his thought process behind the move, regardless of the inserted clauses.

"It was ultimately a gut decision when I came to Frankfurt at the start of the season, and it was now," Koch began. "But it was also a logical consequence on the first six months here. It just feels right. I enjoy it here and I still see a lot ahead of us. I want to progress here, celebrate successes and I see us on the right path together."

Robin Koch makes admission on Leeds United supporters

The notoriety that comes with Leeds' fanbase is so often well-documented, and this is one particular facet of that relegation season that has lingered with Koch, as he revealed via the aforementioned report.

"It definitely hurt me to read a lot of the comments from fans on social media but of course, I can understand the anger," he continued, via The Athletic.

"The Leeds fans are positively crazy about their club and relegation was very painful for them. I always did everything I could to be successful with Leeds, and to make the Leeds fans happy. For me, it was terrible that we didn’t achieve our goal of staying up at the end of last season."

Koch maintains the stance that man-for-man, United had a good enough side on paper to drag themselves out of danger, but mitigating circumstances played their own part in their relegation following a 4-1 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.

"The quality in the team was actually very good. We were a good squad with a good spirit. But we had to deal with a lot of injury worries and unfortunately got into a negative spiral we couldn’t get out of. We tried everything to avoid relegation. When it was finalised, it was a very painful moment.

"After relegation, I had to deal with it for quite a long time. I didn’t think about leaving Leeds during the season and had no intention of doing so. I was fully focused on the relegation battle but as a footballer, you have ambitions. My ambition has always been to play as high as possible," he continued.

"But I loved the Leeds fans, every game with them. Elland Road was incredible. I wrestled with myself and thought about it (his decision) for a long time."

Leeds United at present

Although Koch would have been another key cog in Farke's defence if he stayed, United have done well enough without his services through the addition of Spurs loanee Joe Rodon in particular.

What will frustrate many regarding the deal is the club have now lost a decent asset for free, which is a hefty figure to lose for any Championship club, regardless of parachute payments and valuations that could apply to potential future sales of key assets such as Crysencio Summerville or Wilfried Gnonto.