'Never want to hurt anyone' - ex-Leeds United man addresses fan anger and personal ambition

Koch was one of players to take advantage of a relegation release clause in his contract and secured a loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt for the 2023/24 season. With a deal that runs out this summer, Koch's loan signalled the end of his time at Leeds and the severing of an already fractured relationship with the fanbase.

The German, who was this week unveiled as an incoming permanent signing for Frankfurt, told The Athletic that he understood why supporters were angry. He said: “It definitely hurt me to read a lot of the comments from fans on social media but of course, I can understand the anger. The Leeds fans are positively crazy about their club and relegation was very painful for them. I always did everything I could to be successful with Leeds, and to make the Leeds fans happy. For me, it was terrible that we didn’t achieve our goal of staying up at the end of last season."

Koch believes the Leeds team had quality, 'a good spirit' and did all in their power to avoid the drop, but injuries and what he called a 'negative' spiral left them in the relegation places. The centre-back says the bitter taste of relegation stayed with him, but when it came to this season his ambition meant a move to the Bundesliga was the right option.

"I loved the Leeds fans, every game with them. Elland Road was incredible," he said. "I wrestled with myself and thought about it for a long time. But as I said before, it was simply a decision for my career to continue in the best possible way and to pursue my high goals. During a career there are simply moments and decisions that not everyone always understands or accepts. But you never want to hurt anyone.”

Koch arrived at Leeds from SC Freiburg in 2020 for around £12m and made 77 appearances for the Whites, despite undergoing a pair of surgical operations for knee and hip problems. He lost his place in the German national team during his Elland Road stint but says international football remains an ambition as he looks forward to a new three-year contract with Frankfurt.