Leeds United have spent the first part of the summer transfer window attempting to improve the depth and the quality of Daniel Farke’s defensive options.
Three of their four signings are defenders, as Gabriel Gudmundsson, Sebastiaan Bornauw, and Jaka Bijol have all been added to the squad, alongside striker Lukas Nmecha.
The Championship champions are also looking to improve their options in the middle of the park, though, as they were recently linked with a move for Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff.
Sky Sports reported that the Whites were interested in a deal to bring the English maestro to Elland Road this summer, and made three bids to tempt the Magpies into cashing in on him.
However, all three offers were turned down by Eddie Howe’s side, with the most recent proposal worth up to £12m, and Leeds are said to be weighing up where to go next.
The Whites will be hoping that whoever they sign to fill that central midfield role can be as effective as Kalvin Phillips was for Marcelo Bielsa in the 2020/21 campaign.
Why Kalvin Phillips was so important for Leeds
When Leeds were promoted to the Premier League under Bielsa in 2020, Phillips stepped up from the Championship and showed that he could compete at the top level with brilliant performances in the middle of the park.
The England international sat at the base of the midfield and provided consistent quality with both his use of the ball in possession as well as his destructive play off the ball to break up opposition attacks on a regular basis.
Phillips, who came up through the academy system at Thorp Arch, played 29 of the club’s 38 games in the Premier League that season, and used his defensive quality to help the team avoid relegation back down to the Championship.
The English enforcer was terrific at making tackles, interceptions, and blocks to prevent Illan Meslier from being worked too often in the Leeds goal, as shown by the statistics in the table below.
Tackles
2.74
Top 12%
Interceptions
1.67
Top 18%
Blocks
1.82
Top 9%
Clearances
1.96
Top 9%
Aerial duels won
1.11
Top 39%
Passes blocked
1.30
Top 15%
Phillips ranked incredibly highly in pretty much every major defensive metric, which speaks to how important he was to Bielsa’s team in the middle of the park.
As you can see in the clip above, though, Jamie Carraghe also explained why the midfielder was an important player in possession with his ability to dictate games with his passes.
Leeds have held talks to sign Bundesliga star
Leeds may be on course to land their next version of Phillips, though, as they are reportedly interested in a deal to sign Anton Stach from Hoffenheim.
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According to the Sunday Mirror (13 July, page 76), as relayed by MOT Leeds News, Leeds United have already held talks with Hoffenheim over a potential deal for the central midfielder.
The report also reveals that the Bundesliga club are willing to cash in on the German talent if a club is willing to pay a fee of around £17.25m for the 26-year-old titan.
It also states, though, that Eintracht Frankfurt are plotting a possible bid for the 6 foot 4 colossus, which means that Leeds could face some pretty stiff competition to get a deal over the line for the midfielder in the coming weeks.
Why Leeds should sign Anton Stach
The Whites should push to beat Frankfurt to his signature before the end of the summer transfer window because Stach could be Farke’s own version of Phillips.
As aforementioned, the current Manchester City man was so important for Bielsa because of the defensive insurance that he provided in front of the back four, coupled with the technical quality that the English star offered on the ball.
Stach, who also offers a physical presence at the height of 6 foot 4, is a defensive or central midfielder who could arrive at Elland Road to bring similar qualities to Phillips in the middle of the park.
The 26-year-old star averaged 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, without making a single error that directly led to a goal or penalty for the opposition, in 30 appearances in the Bundesliga last term.
Appearances
29
30
Goals
1
1
Assists
2
2
Tackles per game
2.6
2.2
Interceptions per game
1.6
1.5
Duels won per game
5.3
5.6
Ground duel success rate
53%
59%
Aerial duel success rate
47%
57%
As you can see in the table above, Stach’s defensive numbers last season in the German top-flight are incredibly similar to the numbers that Phillips put up for Bielsa in the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.
These statistics suggest that the German talent would offer similar qualities out of possession in the present day Leeds team for Farke, as a destructive defensive midfielder who can consistently win duels, tackles, and interceptions, whilst dominating opposition players in duels on the ground and in the air.
The £17m-rated maestro, who former teammate Dominik Kohr claimed has an “incredible” shot, also completed 83% of his attempted passes and contributed with two goals and four ‘big chances’ created, which shows that he can also make an impact in possession.
Therefore, Stach could be as important to Farke’s Leeds team as Phillips was to Bielsa’s newly-promoted side in 2020, due to his qualities on and off the ball in midfield, having proven himself in a major European league in Germany.
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That is why the Championship champions should be pushing very hard to beat Frankfurt to the signing of the Hoffenheim man before the opening game of the Premier League season against Everton.
