Tottenham Could Repeat Poch Disaster With £15m Dud

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in sealing a move for Leeds United defender, Robin Koch, with the German international set to be available on a cut-price deal this summer.

What’s the latest on Koch to Tottenham?

According to Football Insider, the Lilywhites are seemingly ready to take advantage of the Elland Road outfit’s recent relegation by making a move for the 26-year-old in the coming weeks and months.

The piece suggests that the north Londoners believe that the former Freiburg man – who has just over a year left to run on his existing deal – could command a fee of just £15m, with the Whites facing something of an ‘exodus’ following their drop into the Championship.

This follows a report from the same publication back in March which also suggested that chairman Daniel Levy is eyeing a move for the versatile centre-back, with the eight-cap ace having been with the Yorkshire side since signing on a £13m deal back in 2020.

Should Tottenham sign Koch?

Levy and co have seemingly not had much success when it comes to snapping up players from Leeds in the recent past, having ultimately gained little from their signing of young Jack Clarke on a £10m deal back in the summer of 2019, during Mauricio Pochettino’s time in charge.

The York native was immediately loaned back to his former club for the following season, albeit while making just three appearances in the first half of the 2019/20 campaign before sealing a swift return to N17.

Further loan spells at the likes of Queen’s Park Rangers and Stoke City would follow for the promising winger over the next year or so, with the Englishman ultimately making just four first-team appearances for Spurs, prior to joining Sunderland for an undisclosed fee last summer.

With that Pochettino signing ultimately failing to work out for either Clarke or the north London outfit, it may be of concern for Levy to land another Leeds asset in the form of Koch, particularly with the latter man having rarely impressed during his time in England thus far.

Previously described as “horrible to watch” by journalist Beren Cross, the £40k-per-week dud’s woes were also laid bare by the fact that he formed part of a backline that shipped 78 league goals in 22/23 – the worst record in the division.

While the 6 foot 4 asset had featured in a midfield role in recent weeks, that tactical tweak failed to have the desired effect, having notably ‘lacked composure’ against Ryan Mason’s men in Sunday’s 4-1 defeat – according to the aforementioned Cross.

As the Leeds Live journalist also noted on Twitter, the German was rather bullied by Spurs talisman Harry Kane on the day having been “outmuscled” by the Englishman in the build-up to Pedro Porro’s second-half strike.

Those shortcomings were also laid bare as Koch lost possession on 15 occasions and was dribbled past twice in that final day drubbing, having also won just 11 of his 19 total duels, as per Sofascore.

That performance should have sent alarm bells ringing to the Tottenham hierarchy, with the club needing to avoid a repeat of their previous Clarke disaster.