Latest news with #RobinKoch
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Robin Koch opts to remain with Eintracht Frankfurt
Sport Bild reports that Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Robin Koch has opted to remain with his current Bundesliga club. The 28-year-old's future collaboration with the RheinMainAdler appeared to be in doubt towards the end of the season as Eintracht fought to secure Champions League qualification. With UCL football secured on the final day of the 2024/25 campaign, everything has been worked out. Koch thus had no need to entertain interest from Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. Advertisement A new contract (complete with a hefty pay raise) will be awarded to Koch in the coming days. Though the German tabloid has little to add about the leadership responsibilities the SGE plans to confer upon the Kaiserslautern-native, it could be the case that Koch replaces keeper Kevin Trapp as the squad's permanent captain. Koch – currently on international duty with Julian Nagelsmann's German national team – should sign a contract extension good through 2030. Confirmation is expected before the forthcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures are completed. GGFN | Peter Weis
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How Niko Kovac propelled Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League – and what happens next
Do not take your eyes off Borussia Dortmund this summer. They have arrived at a fork in the road, and have a decision to make. The club's unlikely qualification for the Champions League, which saw them sneak into the Bundesliga's top four on the final day of its season last weekend, has changed the mood around the club. They will soon head for the United States to play in FIFA's new-look Club World Cup, where they should progress from a relatively straightforward-looking group (Fluminense of Brazil, South Korea's Ulsan and South African side Mamelodi Sundowns) into the knockout rounds. Advertisement But the more compelling storylines will be played out after that tournament — in how the club position themselves during this pivotal off-season and what sort of Dortmund then emerges. On-pitch definition has been fuzzy for a while, and a squad rebuild is overdue. For much of this season, during which they dropped as low as 12th in the 18-team German top flight, it seemed that any transition would have to take place without Champions League revenue in support. Now, the horizons are broader. Sunderland's Jobe Bellingham is a known transfer target. Logically so, given his older brother Jude's recent development at the club before joining Real Madrid. Enzo Millot, Stuttgart's French attacking midfielder, is part of the shortlist, too, as is Eintracht Frankfurt's Robin Koch, a central defender who has won 12 caps for Germany and previously played for Leeds United. Angelo Stiller is another Stuttgart midfielder and German international they admire. In the other direction, Jamie Gittens is expected to leave, as are Salih Ozcan and Gio Reyna. Carney Chukwuemeka will return to Chelsea after his half-season loan expires, too. Dortmund were initially interested in making Chukwuemeka's move permanent, or at least borrowing him again for next season, but he is no longer a target. But all these transfer decisions will occur in an important context. Since taking charge in February, seemingly on a rescue mission, head coach Niko Kovac has performed far better than many anticipated. So much so that he has credibly emerged as someone who could lead Dortmund back to the top of the Bundesliga. Borussia Dortmund were 12th in the Bundesliga on March 29. They have since won seven of their eight games in Germany's top-flight, drawing the other against Bayern Munich, with their 3-0 victory over Holstein Kiel sealing their qualification for next season's Champions League.… — The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) May 17, 2025 Six months ago, Kovac would have been nobody's idea of a typical Dortmund coach. His brand of football was too orderly and structured for the locals, tapping into too much of an underdog spirit. When he arrived, he was given an 18-month contract. He had little interest in being seen as a short-term solution or working as an interim, so that length was a compromise between his ambitions, the club's situation, and that odd distance between what he represented and how the club see themselves. Advertisement But before Nuri Sahin was sacked in January, Dortmund's situation had become perilous. While their form was bad, the between-the-line details were even more discouraging. They were a sloppy team who were systemically weak and prone to lapses of concentration and individual mistakes. Emotionally, they were flimsy, often responding to adversity with self-pity. Away from home, they were almost comically brittle at times: think of the awful performance at Union Berlin, or the 4-2 loss to Holstein Kiel when they were three goals down at half-time against the division's minnows. Running data highlighted Dortmund as an idle side, too. By early February, their players had covered only the 14th-most distance in the Bundesliga. It's a limited statistic, certainly, but it showed how some supporters viewed this team: individualistic, entitled, weak. Kovac was a natural response to all of that. Whereas Sahin had been conciliatory, the Croatian was tougher and far more demanding. Previously a defensive midfielder nobody enjoyed playing against, the 53-year-old can be just as uncompromising as a coach. He has always built his teams from back to front, focusing on foundation work and installing defences that depend on very precise positioning. He has never been afraid of confrontation, either, and is happy to challenge players who do not follow his lead or behave as one with the group. When Lars Ricken, the club's chief executive for sport, announced Kovac's appointment, he referenced the 'energy, determination and the importance of the team spirit' that had characterised the newcomer's teams in their past. What was left unsaid, of course, and what he was suggesting, was that Dortmund had few of those qualities and needed them urgently. What a difference four months can make. Last Saturday, after Champions League qualification was secured, Ricken said that what Kovac had achieved with this comeback 'ranks among the greatest managerial performances in (the club's) history'. Advertisement Yes, Kovac was Ricken's choice and, having been part of the disastrous Sahin appointment, it's no surprise that he should want to celebrate — and partially own — the recovery. But hyperbole or not, Kovac has now earned himself a clear mandate for the future, which is especially interesting given the squad is expected to change so much this summer. So, what's next? Central to Dortmund's recovery were notable adjustments to their game, including narrowing the way they attacked and depending much more on speed in transition. Karim Adeyemi's ability to play through the middle made him a key asset, whereas Gittens' defensive naivety and preference for playing off the touchline kept him on the substitutes' bench. And while Kovac experimented with different formations early on, by the end of the season, he had settled on a back three, a setup which has been his preference throughout his coaching career. But while his 3-4-2-1 accentuates Dortmund's strengths and hides some of their weaknesses, it's new for the club and not every player in their squad has a home within it. In the double pivot at the base of midfield, for example, Felix Nmecha is a certain starter, leaving one of Marcel Sabitzer or Emre Can — the club captain — out of the side. Can was often used in defence instead this season, but Niklas Sule's rehabilitation and Waldemar Anton's improved form have locked out two of the three positions. When Nico Schlotterbeck recovers from a knee injury, likely in the early autumn, he will be a natural option for the other one, at left-sided centre-back. The future is full of those little conundrums. What happens to Julian Brandt, given that Max Beier is preferred as another 'runner' behind Serhou Guirassy? What of Julien Duranville, a wide player who lacks the physicality and defensive awareness to operate as a wing-back? Given the increased strength of Kovac's standing — technical director Sebastian Kehl has echoed Ricken in his praise — it begs a question: if the guy was not an obvious Dortmund head coach before, how much are they willing to reshape themselves to suit his style of play now? That strength of that commitment, one way or the other, will likely define what this club's coming seasons look like.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eintracht Frankfurt to extend contracts of 2 key players
Eintracht Frankfurt can secure Champions League football with a win against Mainz on Sunday, and with that die Adler are expected to extend the contracts of two players. According to Sport Bild, Frankfurt want to extend the contract of Robin Koch. The defender's current deal expires in 2027 but with a reported release clause between €18m and €20m, the Hessen club wish to buy the German defender out of his clause, and work with him long-term. Advertisement Koch has played 40 games across all competitions for Eintracht this season and has attracted interest from fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund but a move is currently not a topic for die Schwarzgelben despite a desire to improve their defence over summer. Although Jean-Mattéo Bahoya (19) has a long-term contract until 2029, Frankfurt also wish to extend the Frenchman's current deal. Like with Kauã Santos and Nathaniel Brown, SGE are ready to offer Bahoya a new deal on improved terms. Bahoya struggled in his early days at Eintracht following his €8m move from Angers in January 2024 but has since established himself as an important player. The 19-year-old has featured in Eintracht's last 10 Bundesliga games. Champions League prize money strengthens Eintracht's position With a guaranteed income of around €50m, per Sport Bild, this also gives Dino Toppmoller's side a 'better hand in negotiations' when it comes to Hugo Ekitiké, who has interest from Arsenal and Liverpool. GGFN | Daniel Pinder
BBC News
16-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Frankfurt stadium will be a lion's den'
Eintracht Frankfurt defender Robin Koch has warned Tottenham they will be playing in an intense atmosphere on Thursday and that the entire German city is up for the crucial Europa League is Spurs' only remaining chance of silverware and a route to qualifying for next season's Champions League."We shouldn't expect that Tottenham, all of a sudden, don't know how to play football because they are away," Koch said."They play for everything tomorrow. Their league is more or less done, so they will give it everything. The stadium will be a lion's den but I don't think Tottenham will give up too early."You can feel it all over the city, in the club, in our team and everyone is looking forward to the match."Frankfurt's coach Dino Toppmoller reiterated the message that Spurs should expect an intense atmosphere in Germany."They will feel it," he said. "There are many factors which are important. The key for success tomorrow will be that we have a good start into the match, we are right away on the pitch and that we make use of the advantage of playing at home."We still know about the quality of Tottenham. Of course, I know the results they had recently, but they won also at Manchester United, they won at Manchester City. These are not little successes."The match from last weekend doesn't say anything because the only thing where they can reach anything is the Europa League - so all their focus is on the Europa League."
