Robin Koch would be a disappointing downgrade for West Ham United if they're to replace Declan Rice this summer.

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The biggest story of the summer for the Hammers is Rice's dubious future as the English midfielder looks set to leave the club after nine years, with both Arsenal and Manchester City reportedly interested.

Having come through the academy system, the 24-year-old has been a key fixture in the side since breaking through in 2017 and will leave a large hole to fill for David Moyes' team as they look to replace him.

One man that is reportedly on their radar as a potential replacement for Rice is Leeds United man Robin Koch.

According to Sport BILD reporter Tobi Altschäffl, the Hammers have joined Eintracht Frankfurt in their interest for the German and view him as a possible replacement for their star man.

"In addition to Eintracht Frankfurt, West Ham entered the race for Robin Koch. At West Ham he is being discussed as a six and a possible Rice successor. Koch's tendency is more towards the Bundesliga," he tweeted.

Would Robin Koch be a good Declan Rice replacement for West Ham?

As West Ham look to fill the monumental hole that Rice will leave in the team, Koch is not the right player to step into the 24-year-old's place.

While he has looked serviceable at times during his spell at Leeds, the German struggled towards the end of last season, with his performance against Fulham labelled "horrific" by Youtuber and MEN contributor Conor McGilligan.

"[Max] Wober came in and did okay, was probably you know, head and shoulders above Koch who was horrific. Can't pass the ball at the minute. Was struggling with defensive headers.

"Robin Koch is having an absolute shocker now and when I'm looking at men to step up right now, I'm looking at someone like him, he doesn't look bothered."

That's not the mindset the Hammers will want in Rice's successor, with the Englishman known for always giving 100% whenever he took to the field for both club and country.

Defensively, Rice shines in the middle of the park, putting up 2.1 tackles a game and 1.7 interceptions a game, numbers Koch fails to reach, with the defender averaging 1.5 tackles a game and 1.2 interceptions a game in comparison.

It's not just his defensive output that makes the midfielder such a vital component of Moyes' side, though, with his playmaking ability also shining this season. Making one key pass a game and averaging 4.1 long balls per game, with a pass success rate of 88%, Rice's ability to dictate play from the middle of the park is second to none and Koch just isn't up to that standard.

Averaging just 0.2 key passes a game and 2.1 long balls per game with a pass success rate of 77.3%, it's clear the German flop falls way short of Rice in that department, without even factoring in the pair's respective goal contributions this season, with the Hammers' midfielder having five goals and four assists in all competitions, while Koch failed to score or assist at all.

All in all, Koch falls short of Rice in every key area, and his WhoScored rating of 6.52, which pales in comparison to the 24-year-old's 7.01, is just the icing on the cake.

The Leeds man may be a fine signing for a Premier League side, but a worthy successor to Rice? Absolutely not.