Why Robin Koch to Leicester City would be a healthy move
According to The Sun, Leicester City are planning a January swoop for FC Freiburg defender Robin Koch.
The German centre-back has also attracted interest from Wolves, Norwich, and other Bundesliga outfits.
Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers views the 23-year old as a potential replacement for former defender Harry Maguire (h/t The Sun), who departed to Manchester United in the summer.
Though centre-back Caglar Soyuncu has filled the void left by Maguire with some steady displays, Rodgers must add more competition in the heart of his defence.
Meanwhile, Koch has been impressive for Freiburg, who have had a flying start to their season. The tall German has featured in all their league outings and has established himself as a regular this season, after making 24 league appearances last year.
Koch has played 66 games for the Bundesliga outfit since arriving in 2017 from FC Kaiserslautern. He has also scored four goals and assisted twice for Freiburg.
His recent performances earned him a German national team call-up, as he made his debut in an international friendly against Argentina.
Meanwhile, Leicester have made a solid start under Brendan Rodgers and are placed 2nd behind runaway leaders Liverpool.
Rodgers’ players have been in fine form and he owes them a lot, especially to his centre-backs Jonny Evans and the young Soyuncu.
Experienced campaigner Evans and Soyuncu have formed a formidable partnership at the back and look set to become one of the best defensive pairings of the season.
The Foxes have two more defenders in their ranks – veteran Wes Morgan and youngster Filip Benkovic.
However, Morgan is 35 now and past his prime. Benkovic has looked promising after a good loan spell at Celtic last year but has not played many matches this season.
Also, Evans is already 31 and hence, it makes sense for Rodgers to register interest in a young defender like Koch.
The German cherishes playing long balls, as is evident from his average of 5.4 long ball deliveries per game, according to Whoscored.
These abilities would put him in high stead if he makes a move to England, where long balls and diagonal deliveries play a decisive role during matches.
Verdict
With not much depth left in the Foxes defence, Koch could be a possible replacement for the departed Englishman Maguire.
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The youngster can also offer healthy competition at the back, especially for Soyuncu and Evans, thus providing Rodgers with a lot of options to choose from.
