“Lot of files, lot of presentations” – Player reveals Leeds United’s efforts to make sure he signed for them

Marcelo Bielsa is known for his attention to detail and the effort he puts into planning matches. The Leeds United boss gives regular seminars to his players, and hasn’t been afraid to do similar with the media when required.

This approach stretches to securing transfer targets, as Robin Koch has revealed in an interview with SportBild.

Signing the Germany international was an impressive move from Leeds, and they needed to beat competition from elsewhere to do so.

Hertha Berlin were also keen on taking the defender from SC Freiburg, and quizzed on how close that transfer got, Koch told the German magazine: “There was an intensive exchange, I also met Bruno Labbadia (Hertha manager) once. There were basically options to stay in the Bundesliga. I’ve dealt with a few other clubs over the past few months. Ultimately, however, I made my decision very consciously and with full conviction.”

Leeds United won the race, and Koch was impressed by how much the club knew about him: “How Bielsa wants to play suits me perfectly: I got videos from Leeds, various game scenes – and then cut my own scenes into them: I realised very quickly that it worked extremely well.”

Pressed further on why Elland Road was the right destination for him, Koch explained: “Leeds were looking for a strong defender who can open the game, who dares to play bravely from the back. The club really dealt with me extremely, I received a lot of words, a lot of files, a lot of presentations. I was surprised at how precisely I was analysed. Here, too, you could see Bielsa’s meticulousness.”

Koch explained that as soon as Leeds United links appeared, he felt the size of the Whites via social media.

That quickly showed him it’s ‘no ordinary club’, and the defender is clearly very happy with his decision to move to the Premier League, adding Germany manager Joachim Löw has congratulated him on the transfer.