Leeds United signed Anton Stach last summer for a deal worth £17.4m from German club Hoffenheim, and he has been one of the most important players in Daniel Farke’s squad.
The midfielder has been instrumental in Leeds’ charge to stay in the Premier League this season as they push towards safety in the final 10 games of the season.
He has brought physicality and quality with the ball to the Leeds midfield, and his potency from set-piece situations has added another dimension to the team.
However, Stach has not convinced everyone, and by the looks of it, he may not have done enough in a Leeds shirt this season to earn a place in Germany’s World Cup squad.
Julian Nagelsmann is still unsure about Anton Stach
Stach’s performances at Leeds this season have led to suggestions that he could have an outside chance of making it to the Germany squad for the World Cup.
However, national team coach Julian Nagelsmann has expressed his doubts about the midfielder’s overall game just ahead of this month’s friendlies.
He insisted that despite Stach’s height, he is not great in the air and is not a player who regularly wins balls in the middle of the park.
The German head coach believes the Leeds star’s best position is in a back three, where the game is in front of him.
Nagelsmann told Kicker: “He’s doing well there, but he’s not exceptionally strong in the air and not a top ball-winner either.
“He’s also someone who prefers to have the game in front of him.
“In my view, his best position at Hoffenheim was the central role in a back three, from where he could drop into the No.6 position.
The German midfielder fits Leeds’ needs
Stach has been a key player for Leeds this season, despite the so-called deficiencies in his game, because of the way Daniel Farke has used him.
Playing alongside Ethan Ampadu and Sean Longstaff or Ilia Gruev, the German midfielder doesn’t need to be the ball-winner in the Leeds midfield.
| Interceptions (per game) | 0.7 |
|---|---|
| Tackles (per game) | 2.1 |
| Possession Won – Final Third (per game) | 0.8 |
| Balls Recovered (per game) | 4.3 |
| Dribbled Past (per game) | 0.7 |
| Clearances (per game) | 1.7 |
| Blocked Shots (per game) | 0.3 |
| Errors Leading to Shot | 1 |
| Errors Leading to Goal | 0 |
| Penalties Committed | 1 |
Stach’s progressive passing and set-piece deliveries are far more important to Leeds than any deficiency in winning back possession.
He is unlikely to be in the Germany squad in the World Cup, but that won’t change the fact that the midfielder has been enormous for Leeds’ success this season.
In fact, Farke will be happy that he will have Stach at his disposal early in pre-season to prepare for the 2026/27 campaign in the summer, since he won’t be in Germany’s World Cup squad.
