Former Leeds United man Robin Koch could miss out on a place at the 2026 World Cup as his form has taken a spectacular nosedive in recent weeks.
Robin Koch joined Leeds at the start of the 2020/21 season as the replacement for Ben White, who Leeds were unable to bring back to the club following his loan spell in the promotion-winning season.
The German defender gave away a penalty on his Leeds debut under Marcelo Bielsa and struggled for form and fitness throughout his spell, forming part of the defence that suffered relegation from the Premier League in 2022/23.
Koch left Leeds on an initial loan deal following their relegation to the Championship. He turned his loan exit into a permanent move in 2024, signing for Eintracht Frankfurt.
However, he is enduring a torrid season, with one report claiming that he is “in crisis” after a costly error in Eintracht’s most recent game.
Robin Koch looks on ahead of Atletico de Madrid v Eintracht Frankfurt - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2
Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images
Former Leeds United man Robin Koch is ‘in crisis’
Koch was made Eintracht captain at the start of the current season. However, German publication Bild has now questioned his role after a disastrous performance in a 2-2 draw with Freiburg.
Playing alongside fellow ex-Leeds man Rasmus Kristensen in the Eintracht defence, Koch made an error that led to a Freiburg goal, prompting Bild to declare, “”The harsh Koch truth: The captain is in crisis!”
Speaking in the report, Eintracht manager Dino Toppmöller criticised Koch for the error, stating: “An individual mistake. Robin knows that himself. He didn’t play that ball well. The decision to play it in the first place wasn’t good either.”
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This prompted Bild to declare that the defender could miss out on a call-up to the Germany squad for the upcoming World Cup, as the report continued: “with the 2026 World Cup in mind, Koch seems to be putting too much pressure on himself and wanting too much.”
Before adding, “Due to his slump in form, the defensive star can’t act as a leader or even intimidate opponents.”
In a week where several former Leeds players have impressed, including Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell, Koch is one of the unlucky ones, struggling to find his best form.
robin Koch in action during 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 v Eintracht Frankfurt - Bundesliga
Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Former Leeds players struggling in Bundesliga
Koch is not the only former Leeds player to be suffering through a difficult year in the Bundesliga, as several former players have found this season tough going.
Max Wober made a loan move to Werder Bremen ahead of the new season but he is yet to feature in the league after suffering a muscular injury on the verge of the new season.
Fellow loanee Isaac Schmidt also joined Bremen on loan and has played a bit-part role on the bench before he also suffered an injury on international duty.
Of all the Leeds loanees in Germany this season, Kristensen has enjoyed the most success, playing four times at right back and achieving an average FotMob rating of 7.2 in that time.