Leeds United are ramping up their efforts of clinching loan star Ben White this summer, but Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani can’t afford to put all their eggs in one basket which is why an alternative must be considered…
What’s the word?
According to the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, the Yorkshire giants will turn their attention to Freiburg centre-back Robin Koch if their hopes of clinching the Brighton sensation fall through.
White is the top target this window but the club have already had two bids knocked back and could be faced with the same answer over their latest £35m offer as per The Sun (via TEAMtalk).
Now Koch has emerged as a potential plan B and with him entering the final year of his contract, he could be available on a much cheaper deal than the Seagulls man.
Forget White
As good as it will be to secure White permanently, it won’t solve all of Marcelo Bielsa’s defensive problems as currently, he only has skipper Liam Cooper at his disposal alongside some youngsters.
That’s not really ideal when you’re entering the first top-flight campaign at Elland Road in 16 years.
Which is why Koch would be a steal to consider, he’s been called up to the German national side by Joachim Lowe in the past year and has even been likened to Bayern’s Javi Martinez in playing style – “a rangy battering ram” and “enforcer” are just two words that have been used to describe him.
According to Freiburg’s head coach Christian Streich, the 24-year-old is a “warrior” and his numbers for the 19/20 campaign back that up immensely.
Per WhoScored, the centreback, who can also play in midfield, averaged 2.9 clearances, 1.4 interceptions, 1.1 tackles and 1.1 shots per game in the Bundesliga whilst also displaying his ability on the ball, managing a passing success rate of 83.7% from nearly 50 passes each outing.
German outlet Kicker (via BuLiNews) believe he could be sold for just €10m (£9m) – that’s a fraction of what Brighton are drumming up for White.
In an ideal world, they secure both but Koch won’t be a bad alternative by any means.
AND in other news, Five realistic signings Leeds United should target this summer…
