The 27-year-old defender from Leeds United, who was unexpectedly selected ahead of Champions League finalist and seasoned Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels, is counting down the days until this summer’s European Championships, stating that hosts and his native Germany have the talent to go all the way. Koch reunited with his countrymen earlier this month and played off the bench in one of their two warm-up friendlies, a 0-0 draw against Ukraine.
Koch had an outstanding season on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, making 41 appearances in all competitions and even captaining his team three times in Bundesliga and Europa League games. Manager Julian Nagelsmann’s decision to call him up was just compensation for his efforts. Though Jonathan Tah and Antonio Rudiger will probably be his backups, he still aims to fulfill a childhood dream of playing for his nation in a major tournament, which begins on Friday when Germany takes on Scotland.
Regarding the upcoming European Championships, Koch said Sky Sports, “playing in such a tournament at home was one of the biggest dreams as a kid.” “I believe that everyone is eager to compete and that this tournament has been anticipated by the entire nation.” Following the most recent competition [we 2022 World Cup group stage exit], I believe there’s a great opportunity to demonstrate once more how strong our footballing nation is. Our squad is sufficiently talented, particularly when it comes to German players. The squad and the entire nation have a great opportunity.
Nagelsmann’s choice of Koch over Hummels was viewed as an extraordinarily audacious one, considering the latter’s extensive background in important competitions, notably the most recent Champions League final loss to Real Madrid at Wembley. However, it’s also thought to be typical of a coach trying to manage a period of transition during which successors like Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, and Hummels will be chosen.
Koch continued, “He’s obviously a really good coach.” of Nagelsmann. He’s also rather young, so I believe he has a great understanding of us players. You don’t have a lot of time to train with the national team, so you need to communicate to the players your vision for the game and how you want to play it.
With his three-year contract signed in January, which formally kicks in after his Leeds contract expires this summer, Koch has already committed his long-term future to Frankfurt. Next season, the center defender will play on the continent once more, hopefully leading his team to another Europa League berth.
When Koch departed Leeds last summer, the club only paid a loan fee of £500,000. Koch was one of several Germans to exercise a loan clause after being relegated from the Premier League. Fans were especially irritated by his predicament, as Leeds was powerless to stop the center back from spending the last 12 months of his contract on loan at another team before he left for free this summer. Due to the regrettable situation, United will record a large loss on the £11 million it spent for Koch in 2020.
