Leeds United invested almost £40m during the January transfer window, with a particular focus on bolstering the centre of defence.
It was clearly outlined as a problem area by Jesse Marsch, who sought out a solution to his defensive woes. With the transfer window having now slammed shut, the Whites have conceded 33 goals in just 19 matches in the current Premier League campaign.
A lot of that fragility stems back to the specialised philosophy of Marcelo Bielsa, which required a unique skillset from each player that he bought and roles that few other managers would demand.
As such, that Leeds team shipped a whopping 79 goals across the 2021/22 Premier League season, with only rock-bottom Norwich City conceding more.
At the heart of the relegation-threatened defence for that campaign was Robin Koch, who the Argentine had brought to Elland Road upon their promotion back to the top flight in 2020.
The German defender featured 20 times and received a miserable 6.51 Sofascore rating as his side narrowly avoided relegation.
There will be hope that, with the addition of Max Wober, the finally 26-year-old can be binned from the starting line-up in favour of a truly capable enforcer who can revolutionise the Whites’ back four.
Before making his move to Yorkshire last month, the Austrian centre-back had excelled in his homeland for Red Bull Salzburg.
He averaged a 7.28 rating, supplemented by his 2.1 clearances, 1.7 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per 90 (via Sofascore). His qualities were duly defined upon signing as journalist Beren Cross profiled him on Twitter: “A leader, a beast one vs one, strong in the air, digs out lazy teammates”.
Even this season with slightly more defensive structure, Koch can only muster a 6.71 Sofascore rating, so it’s not hard to see the disparity between the two Leeds centre-backs.
He was particularly lambasted during his debut campaign at Elland Road, which WhoScored’s ratings define his most fruitful, as pundit David Thompson tweeted in 2020: “Robin Koch had a terrible game for Leeds but did Bielsa not warn his team about Zaha”.
The £40k-per-week dud has made 59 appearances since that fateful move to England, and although his time at the club has not been wholly disappointing – he has started roughly 50% of the Whites’ league matches in that time – he has perhaps still not lived up to initial expectations.
With the additions of Wober and teenage sensation Diogo Monteiro, it will likely not be long before the German’s position at the club becomes obsolete, unless he can find some consistency to make himself undroppable for Marsch even despite the two January defensive additions.