Eintracht Frankfurt announced the signing of Robin Koch on a season-long loan from Leeds United on Thursday and speaking at a press conference today, the German defender covered several topics including his time in England, his development under Marcelo Bielsa and wanting to take a leadership role at Eintracht.
Koch on his time at Leeds United…
“The step abroad with a new language and new culture as a young player helped me a lot as a person. I had to get out of the comfort zone. Football in England is even more intense, it’s more back and forth. I had to adapt to the style of play, which also helped me a lot.”
Koch on playing under Marcelo Bielsa…
“Marcelo Bielsa in particular was definitely a very special coach. He does a lot of things differently than other coaches. The years that I was allowed to work with him brought me forward a lot. The way he saw football the game and how he explained it was very special.”
Koch on what he wants to achieve at Eintracht Frankfurt…
“I want to take on a leadership role here and that is what the coach and everyone expects from me and what I’m looking forward to. Of course, the development at Eintracht, as the club has done in recent years, didn’t go unnoticed by me in England either. With the new coach, a sense of upheaval has risen again. I’m happy to be a part of it and I want to keep developing with the team.”
With the departure of Evan Ndicka to AS Roma following the expiry of his contract, Koch’s experience will play a vital role at the club, more so following the signing of 21-year-old Ecuadorian defender Willian Pacho from Royal Antwerp.
During his time at Leeds United, Koch played 77 games across all competitions, adding to his 87 games played under Christian Streich at Freiburg. His performances resulted in a call-up to the German national team in 2019, and a place at Euro 2020, but he’s failed to make the squad since.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
