Leeds United have completed the signing of Anton Stach from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, with the giant midfielder joining Daniel Farke’s new-look engine room.
Ilia Gruev, Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka, and Sean Longstaff are likely to be Anton Stach’s competition in the deeper midfield roles at Leeds United.
We suggested Leeds sign Stach after missing out on Habib Diarra, with his strengths likely to serve Leeds well in a relegation battle next season. After a drawn-out process, eventually Stach underwent a medical with Leeds on Monday.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed a £17.3 million plus add-ons fee for Stach had been agreed at one stage, but the latest since that reveal is that it’s now been reported that Stach will cost Leeds £19.9 million if add-ons are met.
It makes him one of Leeds’ most expensive signings ever, but he is a player who should excite Leeds fans. In all likelihood, he will play as some kind of a defensive midfielder. However, here are four ways Farke is most likely to utilise Stach in the Premier League next season.
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Stach can be utilised by Farke as a box-to-box midfielder
Having such depth in midfield means Stach could ‘spell the end’ for Gruev at Leeds. However, there will be occasions next year when Leeds look to play as solidly in a mid-block as possible, meaning some fan favourites aren’t guaranteed.
There are some Leeds doubts over Tanaka’s physicality, which is why a defensive-minded 4-3-3 could be the way to go in some games. Ampadu (6’0″), Longstaff (6’2″), and Stach (6’4″) would give Leeds some serious presence in that area.
Stach’s ball-carrying ability means that he can operate ahead of a defensive midfielder and be utilised in more of a box-to-box midfield role, which may not be common but it is certainly a consideration for such a versatile profile of player.
Winning midfield battles from a technical perspective is something Leeds will have to do in some fixtures next season. Leeds have to be able to match or beat teams physically, though, which means Stach pushing up into a more advanced midfield role.
Stach’s best role might be in defensive midfield without Ampadu
The most common way to feature Stach is as the single-pivot in the same 4-3-3 system. He has plenty of experience of handling this role in the Bundesliga.
It means he is the first receiver in build-up phases often, but he is also the primary screener of the back four out of possession as well.
However, using Stach like this would likely mean Ampadu holds the bench. Farke loves him and Liam Cooper called Ampadu a ‘natural leader’ but he cannot be deployed as a box-to-box player and Leeds have four central defenders ahead of him at the back.
Stach would then be played alongside a nice balance of Longstaff and Tanaka. Both can operate as No.8s in this team, but they will perform the role slightly differently, offsetting some of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Farke may play Stach in his preferred 4-2-3-1
One way to play Stach with Ampadu is as a simple double-pivot in Farke’s most commonly used 4-2-3-1. That said, Longstaff or Tanaka could also be utilised alongside him at the base of midfield.
If Farke wanted two natural holding players, then opting for Stach and Ampadu would make the most sense. Leeds may yet sign an attacking midfielder but either Tanaka or Brenden Aaronson — or indeed Joel Piroe — could perform the No.10 role ahead of them.
Farke can be versatile with Leeds’ three-man midfields this year, with the ability to play a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, or even to switch between them in game, ensuring that his side can be very easily flexible.
Stach can be deployed as a centre-back in a Leeds injury crisis
Arguably the least likely way Leeds and Farke deploy Stach is as a central defender. Last season, he was played there for much of the start of the campaign for Hoffenheim before reverting back to his usual role as a midfielder.
Stach could perhaps play as a centre-back in a back four but it’s more likely that he plays in a back three/back five. If Joe Rodon and Sebastiaan Bornauw are injured or suspended, it could then look something like this.
It’s again bad news for Ampadu, who is capable of playing as a centre-back in a three, but a box-to-box duo of Longstaff and Tanaka may have more balance in front of three defenders.
It’s more likely that Stach takes up one of those midfield roles in front of Rodon, Jaka Bijol, and Pascal Struijk, but it isn’t impossible that Farke turns to Stach in a crisis to feature as a defender and not a defensive midfielder.
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