Time at RB Leipzig has made Philipp Köhn “humble”
Philipp Köhne switched from VfB Stuttgart to RB Leipzig in 2017, but moved on again after a year and is now the focus of clubs like Manchester United after his strong performances for Red Bull Salzburg. Looking back, the year was a difficult time for him, he explains transfer market.
Time at RB Leipzig made Köhn “humble”
It made him “humiliated” not to play, explains Köhn. At that time he had followed his classic goalkeeper coach Eberhard Trautner from the Stuttgart youth, but then had to queue up behind Péter Gulácsi like everyone else who came before and after him. This was followed by a move to Salzburg, another disappointment and then an important loan. Only in the second Swiss league did he find the rhythm he needed at FC Wil to become a secure backing. And that despite the fact that he also suffered an unfortunate injury at the beginning and the conditions were completely different than in Leipzig or Salzburg. “I also didn’t care that I had to print on artificial turf every day, I just wanted to get match practice.”
Lewandowski despaired of Köhn in the first leg against Red Bull Salzburg
Die Salzburger was so convincing with his appearances that they took him back and made them number one at the age of 23. He was able to prove himself on the big stage in two games against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, especially in the first leg. He played a big part in the 1-1 draw, as he often drove Robert Lewandowski to despair.
The evening in February brought him a lot of attention, also from the English record champions Manchester United, where Ralf Rangnick is currently the coach. For Köhn, after the difficult time, it is “pure inner joy when I realize that top teams like Manchester United are watching me.” But he was particularly pleased that Péter Gulácsi, whom he never got past, got in touch with him. “I know that his message came from the heart,” says Köhn.