On Tuesday morning, Leeds United officially announced the signing of Anton Stach who joins on a four-year deal from German side Hoffenheim.
Anton Stach has been a transfer target for Leeds United throughout this summer’s transfer window and now he becomes the club’s sixth signing of the window after Leeds United announced the signing of Stach on Tuesday morning.
It comes shortly after Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff joined Leeds United on a four-year deal with the 49ers paying more than £30 million combined for the two midfielders.
Longstaff cost Leeds £15 million whilst reports state that Leeds United have paid more than £17 million for Stach. And with two new central midfielders now in the building, it leaves fans wondering who will be Daniel Farke’s central midfield options next summer should he continue with his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
Ilia Gruev surely facing uncertainty after Leeds United sign Anton Stach
Leeds United still need to sign a new no.10 this summer. Reports are ongoing that Brenden Aronson could leave Leeds this summer following promotion to the Premier League, and so we could see Farke turn his attention to signing a new no.10 in the next week or so with names like Emi Buendia and Gustavo Hamer among those thought to be key targets at Thorp Arch this summer.
But in the two holding midfield positions, again providing Farke plays 4-2-3-1 next season, Ilia Gruev may now find himself far down the pecking order. Midfield options for Leeds United now include Stach and Longstaff, as well as Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka, who are both already ahead of Gruev in the pecking order.
Gruev did play nearly the whole 90 minutes against Manchester United on Saturday, but whether that means that Farke now views him as an important player going into next season remains to be seen.
On that point, with Stach and Longstaff having both arrived, it suggests that Farke never really viewed Gruev as an option going into next season, and so his future is now surely up in the air, and he could be one who himself looks to move on this summer, with game time surely limited for him in the Premier League next season.
Could Leeds United send Ilia Gruev out on loan this summer?
It’s very common for Leeds United to send players out on loan. Following relegation to the Championship two years ago, they did just that with several key players who joined whilst in the Premier League.
And last season, the likes of Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood also left on loan. But Greenwood now looks set to leave Leeds United, along with Gelhardt. It suggests that when Leeds do loan out a player, they’re often not in favour in the first-team, and so should Gruev leave Leeds United on loan this summer then it would all but confirm that he’s no longer in the first-team plans.
Going forward, the 49ers want Leeds United to be playing European football in the near future. Relegation back to the Championship really doesn’t seem like an option now, and so Gruev may have already played his last game for Leeds United.
A loan move or a permanent move this summer may not make any difference. Gruev may find that he is all but out of the picture at Leeds United, and for both him and the club, a permanent move might be the best outcome this summer.
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