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“what a REGRET, Leeds United may continue RUE losing “monster” who’s playing like Van Dijk who left for £0
If Leeds United manage to secure a return to the Premier League in their second attempt, their focus will need to be on making the right recruitment decisions to close the gap between themselves and the top tier.
The challenge, however, is that gap has recently turned into a chasm, with newly promoted sides seemingly destined to return to the Championship quickly.
Leeds’ playoff final opponents, Southampton, are currently on track to finish the season with the lowest-ever points total in Premier League history.
This underlines the enormity of the task ahead for Daniel Farke’s squad, should they succeed in their promotion bid, with the goal of establishing a more successful and longer stay in the Premier League, especially after just three seasons in the division following their return in 2020.
One key objective will be to avoid repeating the mistakes made under Victor Orta’s recruitment strategy, which saw several high-profile signings fail to live up to expectations.
Leeds’ 2020 Transfer Blunders
Looking back to the summer of 2020, following Marcelo Bielsa’s impressive ninth-place finish, Leeds did manage to secure a gem in Raphinha, who was signed for £17m and later sold for £55m two years later.
However, that window also saw some expensive missteps. Orta spent a then-club-record £26m on Rodrigo, only for the Spaniard, who scored 27 league goals for Leeds, to leave for a mere £3m in 2023.
Additionally, £18m was spent on Diego Llorente, but the injury-prone defender made only 59 appearances before being sold to Real Betis for £2.5m.
The 2020 window also saw the permanent signing of Illan Meslier from Lorient.
Though the young goalkeeper remains the club’s number one, he continues to divide opinion, especially after errors in the Championship this season led to goals, as reported by Sofascore.
Another costly decision was the £16m permanent acquisition of Helder Costa, following his role in the promotion push.
Costa, however, left in October 2023 after making just 23 Premier League appearances for Leeds.
Costa isn’t the only one representing a costly mistake. Robin Koch, another high-profile signing, also left the club without a fee.
The Flop Who’s Now Playing Like Van Dijk
As mentioned earlier, many of the 2020 signings didn’t prove to be long-term successes at Leeds, though Koch did at least feature regularly during his three-year tenure.
Signed from Freiburg for £11.5m, the 28-year-old made 73 Premier League appearances, including 36 starts during the disastrous 2022/23 season.
Despite his regular playing time, Leeds’ defense conceded a staggering 78 goals that season, with Koch often singled out for criticism.
LeedsLive’s Beren Cross described his performances as “horrible to watch,” while pundit Gabby Agbonlahor labeled him “not good enough.”
This led to Koch being loaned out to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2023 before he made a permanent move back to Germany last year after his Leeds contract expired.
Koch seems to have rediscovered his form at Frankfurt, with his market value now standing at around £15m, according to Transfermarkt.
FBref highlights that Koch’s style of play closely resembles that of Virgil van Dijk, particularly in aerial duels.
Both defenders are also known for their composure on the ball and ability to pose a threat in the opposition’s penalty area.
Former Freiburg teammate Vincenzo Grifo once praised Koch as having the potential to become a “monster of a centre-back,” and it appears that assessment is proving accurate.
The German defender has made 31 appearances this season and has even forced his way back into Julian Nagelsmann’s plans for the national team.
Given that Leeds currently boast a solid centre-back trio in Pascal Struijk, Joe Rodon, and Ethan Ampadu, there might be some frustration at having let Koch leave for nothing, especially now that he’s thriving in Germany.
