A number of senior players left Leeds United on loan last summer in order to strengthen their chances of a call-up to Euro 2024 and for one player, it has worked.
The club’s relegation to the Championship meant two things. The first being that Victor Orta’s relegation loan clause came into effect, allowing Whites players to leave on loan without Leeds having a say in it.
The second being that National Team managers of big countries at Euro 2024 were always going to be unlikely to consider those playing in the Championship, and therefore those in with a shout needed to go.
Max Wober made it clear that he left Leeds to join Gladbach because he wanted to ensure his place at Euro 2024 with Austria. He is likely to have done that and will face France, Poland and The Netherlands.
Rasmus Kristensen will be hoping his form at Roma has done enough to secure his place with Denmark after falling out of the National Team’s favour during the second half of last season at Elland Road.
Robin Koch is another, with the central defender leaving for Frankfurt in a bid to win a place in Germany’s squad back having last won a cap in 2021. It has worked, with Koch starring for Frankfurt during 2023-24.
Now, a report has confirmed that Koch will be called-up by Julian Nagelsmann:
Leeds man Robin Koch called-up by Germany for Euro 2024
Eight-time Germany star Koch moved to Frankfurt last summer in what was the final year of his contract at Elland Road. He has gone on to play 41 times for Frankfurt, scoring four goals for the Bundesliga side.
Koch has even captained Frankfurt on three occasions and a permanent move to Frankfurt is in place at the end of his loan from Leeds, penning a contract until the summer of 2028 with the German outfit.
Now, German newspaper Bild report that Nagelsmann will include Koch in his Euro 2024 squad with Germany the host nation. He will compete with Antonio Rudiger, Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah.
Koch on how Leeds fans upset him after relegation last season
Koch was signed during Marcelo Bielsa’s era in the summer immediately after going up to the Premier League in 2020, but his best season for the club came ironically in our final campaign in the top tier.
Injuries had hampered Koch in the two seasons prior to 2022-23 and with a year left on his deal, an exit was always likely. Leeds fans have been critical of those who jumped ship using Orta’s loan exit clause.
But most of that anger was directed at players that joined the club in 2023 and left a year later, after relegation. The likes of Wober, Marc Roca, Kristensen and Brenden Aaronson who remain on the books.
Speaking earlier this year, Koch said it was “terrible” to be relegated and it “hurt” to be criticised by the Leeds support but that is now in the past and Koch will be hoping to win Euro 2024 with Germany.
“It definitely hurt to read a lot of the comments from fans. Leeds fans are positively crazy and relegation was very painful. I did everything I could to be successful with Leeds, to make the Leeds fans happy.”
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