Leeds United have recently completed the signing of 26-year-old defensive midfielder Anton Stach.
Stach arrives from TSG Hoffenheim for a fee believed to be around £17m and comes with high expectations from Leeds supporters.
He has already made two appearances for the German National Team and boasts the pedigree of being a U21 Euros 2021 winner.
However, with the Premier League now more competitive than ever, the considerable challenge of achieving survival as a promoted club means the margin of error with new signings is minuscule.
Is Stach the right fit for Daniel Farke tactics at Leeds, or have they made the same recruitment errors as they did back in 2023?
This article will consider this and conduct a thorough player analysis and scout report on Anton Stach, analysing his strengths and weaknesses and how these may translate into the Premier League.
Who Is Anton Stach?
Anton Stach is a 6″4 central midfielder, who used to play further forward but now predominantly plays a more defensive, sitting role.
He is versatile and has featured in central defence numerous times for Hoffenheim, as his defensive abilities make him a good fit for the position.
Below, we have a pizza chart highlighting Anton Stach’s performance for Hoffenheim in the 2024/2025 season in several key metrics, when compared with other midfielders from the Bundesliga and similarly ranked leagues, in terms of level, according to Total Football Analysis in-house league-ranking system.
His defensive contributions clearly stand out, with his duel-winning, aerial success, and positioning being particularly favourable aspects of his game.
Anton Stach Strengths
Duel-Winning
Anton Stach is a machine out of possession, and we believe Daniel Farke has signed him for these traits.
He is very aggressive in challenging the opposition and looks to win possession as early as possible, something he often succeeds in doing.
As shown below, he is patient to dive in but very committed once doing so.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 28, 2025
The statistics support this aspect of his game.
Last season, Stach recovered the ball an impressive 5.8 times per 90 minutes.
He rarely loses a duel and even tackles 62.7% of dribblers, which puts him in the 92nd percentile of players.
Physicality
Stach is also outstanding in the air, which is a massive part of why he is also so capable at centre-half.
Last season, he won 1.83 aerial duels per 90 and won 58.3% of his overall aerial contests, ranking him in the 80th percentile.
His tall build clearly helps him in this regard, but he ensures that he times his challenges well and maximises the benefits of his height by being intelligent and aggressive.
Very few centre-midfielders offer the same physical presence, and it could be key in helping Leeds adapt to the added physicality in the top division.
Energy
In addition to being strong and physical, Stach is also a dynamic midfielder with great endurance and the ability to move around the pitch with ease.
He combines this athleticism with a strong determination to win back possession, and as a result, he often ends up one of the most active players in any given game.
Last season, Stach ranked 33rd in the Bundesliga for distance covered, up from eighth the previous season.
In the way he presses, he is similar to Jordan Henderson during his time at Liverpool, who was the heartbeat of the highly successful Jürgen Klopp team.
The clip below shows this liveliness and the impact it can have as he creates an opportunity from nothing.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 28, 2025
Game Intelligence
Stach is far from just a midfield bulldozer.
He combines his ball-winning ability with a good understanding and reading of the game.
He has an aptitude for predicting where the ball may end up falling, and so positions himself in these areas, ready to collect.
Because of his ability to position himself well last season, Stach made 1.65 interceptions per 90 minutes, putting him in the 93rd percentile of midfielders in the top five leagues.
He also made 3.65 clearances per 90, putting him in the 99th percentile.
Below are two clips highlighting this part of his game.
In the first, he shows his ability to recognise danger and makes a key interception.
In the second clip, Stach shows his aerial ability.
He is then highly proactive and manages to predict where the ball will next fall.
Rather than being proud of his previous action, he goes after the second ball, beating his opposition and then progressing play down the channel.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 28, 2025
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 28, 2025
Weaknesses
Weak Discipline
Anton Stach can be overaggressive and ill-disciplined at times.
Since 2023/2024, he ranks 15th in the Bundesliga for fouls committed.
In 30 Bundesliga games last season, he picked up eight yellow cards.
Some of these are due to smart, cynical challenges aimed at preventing counterattacks.
Others are down to poor decision-making and overreaching for challenges.
His aggression and eagerness can lead him to pursue opportunistic chances to regain possession, when it would sometimes be smarter to remain patient and in position.
Whilst this is sometimes expected of such a profile, in the Premier League, he can’t afford to dive out of position, as a yellow card will be the least of his problems.
Florian Wirtz and Cole Palmer in the central zones would quickly recognise this naivety and could remove him from the game with one touch.
This must be improved upon in a faster-paced, higher-level league.
Technical Limitations
Another potential hindrance to Stach’s ability is his ball playing, which is secure but creatively limited.
Stach ranked in the 87th percentile for progressive passing distance, but made just 0.07 expected assists per game.
He also contributed only 0.1 expected goals per game and finished the season with just one goal and two assists.
The reason he performed well on progressive passes could also be attributed to his 13 appearances as a centre-half, where it is easier to play forwards.
This may further explain why, despite sitting in the 78th percentile for progressive carries, he sat in the 46th percentile for carries into the final third.
He is a consistent passer and offers a solid skillset for retaining possession and keeping play ticking over.
However, he does not offer the creative influence that some modern midfielders do, and Leeds will have to find this elsewhere.
That being said, the 95 goals scored last season suggest this man is not an issue.
Anton Stach Fit For Daniel Farke & Leeds United
Anton Stach will add some much-needed height and physicality to Leeds United, particularly in midfield.
Of their current options in his positions, only Ilia Gruev is above 6 feet, standing at 6’1.
Brenden Aaronson, Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, and Sean Longstaff are all relatively small profiles, and the attackers in front of them are all short.
In the modern Premier League, it is essential to have players who can compete physically, or teams like Newcastle United and Arsenal will have a field day.
His height will help them compete both in-game and at set pieces, where lower-placed sides must perform well to have any chance of surviving.
Anton Stach Playing Style
Stach could be a great fit into Daniel Farke’s playing system, assuming that he is profiled correctly.
Farke’s preferred system is a 4-2-3-1, which he has adopted throughout his time in English Football.
He typically likes to use his full-backs in attack, using overlaps to move them into dangerous zones high up the pitch.
The central midfielders are tasked with maintaining the shape, staying back, and often covering for the players who have advanced.
For example, his best Norwich City sides featured the likes of Alex Tettey, Kenny McLean, and Oliver Skipp, who stayed deep, while the full-backs advanced.
If Stach is given this type of job, he could thrive.
He is highly suited to a role that prioritises his work rate and high-level defensive skills, and takes away pressure from his in-possession responsibilities.
Leeds in the Premier League will likely look to play deeper than they did in the Championship, but they will still use fast transitions and quick movements to forge goal-scoring opportunities.
Conclusion
How good is Anton Stach for Leeds United?
We believe Anton Stach is a smart purchase for Leeds United and will prove to be an effective signing for the Premier League newcomers.
He is not a game-changer in the sense of being a superstar, but he is the type of signing that Leeds need.
He is an anchor, a defensive machine, and a player who will allow the more naturally gifted attacking players to thrive.
He will help cover the defence and make Leeds much more defensively stable, giving their midfield a grit and energy that no side will like to play against.
