Everything you need to know on Leeds United's latest transfer target.
Another Leeds United transfer target has emerged with Hoffenheim's Anton Stach identified as a potential option for Daniel Farke’s midfield.
The YEP exclusively reported on interest in Stach on Tuesday morning, with Leeds known to be in the market for midfield reinforcements following their £22million bid for Sunderland-bound Habib Diarra. Elland Road chiefs expect there to be plenty of competition for the 26-year-old who is coming off the back of another excellent Bundesliga campaign.
Free agent striker Lukas Nmecha and £15million centre-back Jaka Bijol are already through the door, while defender Sebastiaan Bornauw was scheduled to undergo his medical on Monday ahead of a £5.1million move from Wolfsburg. And with attention now seemingly turning to Stach, the YEP has all you need to know on Leeds’ latest target.
Who is Anton Stach?
Anyone who has followed Leeds’ transfer activity this summer knows they want to add physicality and Stach certainly fits the bill. Primarily a defensive midfielder, he stands at 6ft 4ins and is considered one of the Bundesliga’s best ball-winners in his position.
Stach has been a regular starter for two seasons at Hoffenheim, with 74 appearances across all competitions yielding four goals and five assists playing mostly in defensive midfield - albeit he can operate almost as comfortably at No.8 or even in attacking midfield. Prior to his £9.4m move to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, the German-born player enjoyed three further campaigns of regular top-flight football with Mainz and Greuther Furth, the latter of whom he helped win promotion from the 2. Bundesliga in 2020/21.
With plenty of experience in the fourth-tier Regionalliga Nord to boot, Stach is vastly experienced with a total of 243 first-team appearances under his belt at various levels of domestic football in his homeland. The midfielder has also won two caps for the German national team, having debuted in 2022.
What kind of midfielder is Leeds United target Anton Stach?
As with other targets Leeds have either identified or signed, Stach is physically dominating and an excellent ball-winning defensive midfielder. That is primarily the role he has been given at Hoffenheim, with a brief to break up opposition play before progressing the ball forward and kickstarting attacks.
According to FBRef.com, Stach is in the top 20 per cent of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for ball recoveries, interceptions, aerial duels won and blocks per 90 minutes, suggesting he is an excellent all-round defensive destroyer. The German also ranks well among midfielders for progressive passing which highlights his ability to win the ball and then move it on efficiently.
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Opta data highlights Stach’s ball-winning ability further, with the midfielder winning an average of 3.96 ground duels every 90 minutes at a success rate of 58.8 per cent. That is higher than Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu (3.43 duels won at 58.4 per cent) and only a little lower than Ao Tanaka (4.13 duels won at 53.1 per cent), with the caveat being the latter pair were both playing second-tier football last season, rather than top-flight.
Stach also won possession, whether it be via tackle, interception or any other method, 5.94 times per 90 minutes of Bundesliga football last season. In comparison, that is higher than both Ampadu (5.08) and Tanaka (5.89) managed in the Championship, albeit for a side who defended more and therefore had more defensive actions to complete.
Those statistics are part of the reason Stack is likely to be so in-demand this summer, with Sky Germany reporting earlier this year on interest from Champions League outfit Eintracht Frankfurt. There were also suggestions ahead of last summer of interest from the likes of Newcastle United and Fulham.
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