Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has shared his view on Robin Koch following the 3-0 win over Watford.
The Lowdown: Leeds ready to sell Koch
The 25-year-old made just his 15th appearance of the season at Vicarage Road on Saturday and his 11th in a defensive midfield role.
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The German partnered Mateusz Klich in a crucial victory but struggled throughout, losing possession 23 times and coming off second best in 12 duels, as per SofaScore.
Koch was also dribbled past five times and failed to complete any of his six attempted long balls, with this performance coming just a few days after reports suggested that Leeds are happy to move the 25-year-old on in the summer.
The Latest: Hay reacts
Hay shared a story on The Athletic on Sunday, with one fan in the comment section believing that Adam Forshaw’s presence was missed. This is what Hay had to say in reply, admitting that he ‘is not sold on Koch’ in midfield:
“Agreed, and the sooner Phillips can start the better. I’m not sold on Koch at CDM and Klich is always better further up the pitch. Cooper the stand out player yesterday. Genuinely excellent.”
The Verdict: Unfortunate
Koch has played in his natural centre-back position on just two occasions this season, so it isn’t a surprise that he is one of the club’s worst-performing players in the current campaign, as per WhoScored.
Labelled as ‘horrible’ to watch by Beren Cross in the opening day defeat to Manchester United, the German could be the one to make way over the summer, with the club planning a defensive overhaul.
The Whites have conceded 68 league goals this season, so you could argue that Koch being offloaded is unfortunate due to starting at the back just twice, but it looks as if that may well be the case.
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