Leeds lands German midfielder Stach for £17m

Leeds United has significantly bolstered their squad ahead of their return to the Premier League, announcing the £17 million signing of German midfielder Anton Stach from Hoffenheim. The 26-year-old, who has earned two caps for the German national team, has put pen to paper on a four-year contract with the newly promoted club.

Stach's arrival marks the sixth summer signing for Leeds, who secured promotion to the Premier League after triumphing in the Championship last season. He joins a growing list of new faces under manager Daniel Farke for the 2025-26 campaign, including Sebastiaan Bornauw, Jaka Bijol, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Lukas Nmecha, and Sean Longstaff.

Expressing his excitement about the move, the 6ft 4in midfielder said, "I am excited to join such a good team, such a good Premier League team, and I am looking forward to the next season." Describing his playing style, Stach added, "My style of play, I would say I am an aggressive player. I am good in duels. I am good at anticipating passes from the opponents and it would be good for the Premier League. Now we will see, I will try my best."

Stach has a prior connection with new teammate Lukas Nmecha, as the duo played together and helped Germany clinch the European Under-21 Championship in 2021. Looking ahead to the challenges of the Premier League, Stach outlined his ambitions: "The biggest target is to stay in the league and personally just develop, adapt to the league, to the speed of course and then get many good experiences hopefully."