Leeds may repeat their Stach masterclass

Leeds United ensured that they brought a lot of experienced players to the Premier League when they were promoted to the Championship last year.

The Whites knew that it would be a difficult task to avoid relegation, as the last six teams came from behind, and they signed several stars who already knew what it takes to reach the top level.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, James Justin, and Sean Longstaff all come with Premier League experience, while Lukas Nmecha joins from Wolfsburg after playing for Manchester City, Preston, and Middlesbrough earlier in his career.

Signing a host of players with Premier League experience allowed Daniel Farke and the recruitment team to be very creative with other signings, and hit the jackpot with Anton Stach.

The club paid £17.4m to sign the 6 foot 4 central midfielder from Hoffenheim, who had no previous experience in England, and emerged as a star in his first season.

Leeds United are closing in on a deal for the Bundesliga star

Stach, who scored five goals in the Premier League, has been able to adapt to English football after returning from Germany, having won 53% of his total duels and 62% of his aerial games in 29 games in the division.

Now, the West Yorkshire outfit are looking for a player who could arrive at Elland Road this summer to follow in the 27-year-old's footsteps.

According to the Leeds Press, Leeds United are pursuing a deal to sign Nico Elvedi from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the club are looking to sign two defenders after Pascal Struijk left for Brighton & Hove Albion, and are now closing in on a deal to bring the Bundesliga defender to Yorkshire.

It reveals that the Whites are currently in ongoing discussions with the German side, having seen a £7m offer rejected, and that a deal worth £8.5m is expected to be agreed.

This newspaper says that Leeds has accelerated their interest in this experienced star because Coventry City are also considering him as a potential signing.

How Nico Elvedi can imitate Anton Stach at Leeds

It is difficult to say how the players will adapt to the rigors of English football when they have no experience of the league, but Stach is living proof that players from the Bundesliga can make the transition.

The German star won 58% of his battles and 57% of his battles in the Bundesliga for Hoffenheim in the 2024/25 campaign before winning 53% of his battles and 61% of his aerial battles for Leeds in the Premier League.

The way Elvedi has played for Gladbach in the Bundesliga and at the World Cup in Switzerland over the past nine months suggests he has the ability to step in and follow in Stach's footsteps.

His level of duel success in all competitions for club and country suggests that he has the potential to be a key player for Leeds in the way that Stach has been since his move from Hoffenheim.

His dominance in the World Cup matches shows that he will be able to cope with the changes of playing in the Premier League as he has shown that he is able to cope with players from all over the world at a high level.

Elvedi will also arrive at Elland Road as an experienced player who should be expected to hit the ground running, having been there and done it at the highest level, making 318 appearances in the Bundesliga.

The 29-year-old has scored 19 goals in 364 appearances for Gladbach in all competitions in his career, including one goal in 15 Champions League outings.

The latest update on the club's pursuit of a full-back says he is not a natural replacement for Struijk, but his form for club and country shows he could be a useful player for Farke in the other two back-row roles.

He is a superstar who is always in the right place at the right time for clearances, leading the Bundesliga in clearances (270) last quarter, which is why he would be such a smart signing and the club's next version of Stach.