Anton Stach has decided to move to England. The Hoffenheim player has signed with Leeds United, bringing TSG a substantial transfer fee.
According to reports, the Kraichgau club will receive €18 million plus bonuses for the 26-year-old, who had also attracted interest from VfB Stuttgart. Stach has signed a four-year contract with the newly promoted club, which is coached by German coach Daniel Farke. His contract in Kraichgau was due to run until 2027.
“Anton is an outstanding footballer who has consistently performed well on the pitch here in Hoffenheim over the past two seasons. He is also a great guy who has always put the team first and played his part in helping us stay up last season,” said Hoffenheim’s sporting director Andreas Schicker, bidding him farewell with warm words.
“Attractive overall financial package”
“For this reason, we would have been very happy to continue working with Anton. However, he approached us with the wish to leave the club and move to Leeds United in the Premier League. He sees this as the next step in his career, which is why we entered into negotiations with Leeds. Ultimately, in addition to Anton’s wish, the attractive overall financial package led us to agree to the transfer in the end,” Schicker explained.
Even though Stach was not on the transfer list, Hoffenheim is in a position to absorb his departure. TSG recently signed Leon Avdullahu as another defensive midfielder for €8 million, and Umut Tohumcu, Dennis Geiger, Finn Ole Becker, and Grischa Prömel are also available for the central midfield.
Stach moved from Mainz 05 to Hoffenheim on the last day of the transfer window in the summer of 2023. He played 68 competitive games (one goal) for the Rheinhessen club and became a national player there. In March 2022, then DFB coach Hansi Flick selected him for the test matches against Israel (2-0) and the Netherlands (1-1), but the 2021 U-21 European champion has not played for the national team since.
Stach has played a total of 122 Bundesliga games (five goals) and another 30 games in the 2nd division for SpVgg Greuther Fürth. He is the sixth summer signing for Leeds and, after Lukas Nmecha, Sebastiaan Bornauw (both Wolfsburg) and Jaka Bijol (Udinese, formerly Hannover), the fourth with experience in Germany.
