Robin Koch confirms rejecting Bundesliga sides for Leeds move

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Robin Koch has confirmed to Bild that he rejected the opportunity to move elsewhere in the Bundesliga to seal a switch to Leeds United this summer.

Koch arrived at Elland Road after the Whites seemingly admitted defeat in their bid to sign Ben White permanently.

He had previously impressed with Freiburg, forcing his way into Germany’s senior side. The centre-back made his debut for his country last year.

So it will probably come as little surprise to Leeds fans that the Whites had to see off competition for his signature. But what may perhaps catch some off-guard was his admission as to how close he came to moving elsewhere in the Bundesliga.

“There was an intensive exchange, I also met Bruno Labbadia once,” he told Bild, when asked how close he came to joining Hertha Berlin.

“There were basically options to stay in the Bundesliga. I’ve dealt with a few other clubs over the past few months. Ultimately, however, I made my decision very consciously and with full conviction.”

It does appear to be a fantastic piece of business from Leeds to land the 24-year-old. Replacing White was always going to be an incredibly tough task.

However, they have signed an international who is young enough to improve further. And financially, it appears that signing Koch cost them a lot less than White would have done.

Goal reported that £13 million was spent on the German. Meanwhile, Sky Sports noted that their third bid for the Brighton player was worth £25 million.

And it appears that many Leeds fans are optimistic that, for a second year running, they may have replaced a very good centre-back with an even better one.