Leeds United midfield options assessed as Anton Stach transfer to complete £32m evolution
Leeds United are close to completing a transfer for Anton Stach to further boost Daniel Farke’s midfield options.
Leeds United look set to complete a deal for Hoffenheim’s Anton Stach in the coming days and with it, Daniel Farke’s second midfield evolution will be complete.
Stach underwent medical tests on Monday ahead of his €20million (£17.3m) move from the Bundesliga and is expected to join up with his new teammates in Germany. The YEP first reported on interest in the 6ft 4ins ball-winner earlier this month and once confirmed, his arrival will likely round off Leeds’ midfield business.
Sean Longstaff got 45 minutes of action against Manchester United on Saturday, less than 24 hours after his £15m move from Newcastle United was confirmed, while Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka all impressed. At present, central midfield is arguably the area of the squad in which Leeds are strongest and Stach’s arrival will only increase that feeling further.
Last summer’s midfield evolution has been credited with playing a major role in Leeds going from play-off final losers to Championship title winners. Farke lost Archie Gray and cashed in on Glen Kamara, seemingly noting the lack of attacking threat that came particularly from the latter, and replaced them both with more forward-thinking alternatives.
Ao Tanaka bagged five goals last season and took on a shot where his predecessor would almost certainly have passed, while Rothwell’s desire to dart forward sent otherwise comfortable defences into panic mode, opening space for others. That he only registered four assists is a disservice to those attacking contributions but they helped secure a memorable February comeback win over Sunderland.
Those changes certainly aided Leeds’ promotion push and with the target for 2025/26 now survival, Farke’s midfield has been altered once again. Rothwell’s loan has not been made permanent and instead, physicality has been the name of the game. Stach is 6ft 4ins and was one of the Bundesliga’s best ball-winning midfielders last season, while few in the Premier League cover as much distance as Longstaff.
Leeds United midfield options after Anton Stach arrival
Those new arrivals bolster an already well-balanced trio of Ampadu, Gruev and Tanaka, with that five-man list now offering every profile a bottom-half Premier League midfield should need. How Farke uses them will be one of the more interesting tactical points during this summer and next season’s early weeks.
Once Stach’s arrival is confirmed, Farke will have a host of different profiles to consider and could feasibly switch up his combinations based on the opponent. A trip to Anfield might call for Ampadu and Stach to keep it tight while the arrival of Burnley or Sunderland to Elland Road could call more on a Tanaka to dictate from deep.
A change to 4-3-3 against Manchester United on Saturday might just have been the consequence of having no Brenden Aaronson, but it might also be the first sign of Farke changing things up for the Premier League. It was clear in Stockholm that Tanaka and Longstaff were given the freedom to push forward and even go beyond the striker at times, making up for the lack of No.10 at least in terms of numbers around the box.
And that offers another set of midfield combinations for Farke to assess, with the option to have Stach and Longstaff as runners ahead of a more defensive anchor. Aaronson has also spoken recently of feeling comfortable in a box-to-box midfield role, allowing him to carry the ball forward instead of trying to work in tight spaces.
However Farke decides to approach his midfield set up, the Whites boss has far more variation with the current five-man group than he did last season, which in turn had more to offer than 2023/24. And he’ll no doubt hope another summer evolution can prove the difference once again.