Leeds United fans are revelling in the news that the club could be about to sign two key midfield targets in the next few days, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hopeful of changing that.
Leeds are expected to complete the signing of Sean Longstaff after a £15m bid was accepted, with Leeds paying £12m up front and £3m more in add-ons. Longstaff had entered the final year of his Toon deal.
It is believed Leeds will now sign Longstaff by the weekend, with the midfielder currently in Austria with Newcastle’s training camp. It is expected he will be flying back in the next 24 hours before a transfer.
Then, it emerged on Wednesday morning that Leeds had also secured a breakthrough in talks for Anton Stach. Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg says Leeds have agreed personal terms with the Germany star.
Photo by KEMAL ASLAN/AFP via Getty ImagesSolskjaer looks to elbow Leeds aside for Anton Stach signing
However, a deal for Stach is far from done with Leeds needing to agree a fee with Hoffenheim for Stach. The giant midfielder has two years left on his deal, meaning Hoffenheim are not under pressure to sell.
It is claimed Hoffenheim want a £17m fee for Stach, and it remains to be seen how much Leeds are ready to pay with Longstaff’s deal set to take spending towards £45m. Now, Besiktas are showing interest.
Turkish outlet Ortacizgi claim Solskjaer, formerly a rival of Leeds due to his Manchester United longevity, wants to lure Stach to Turkey. Leeds, though, are on pole, having agreed terms with the lofty midfielder.
Photo by Simon Hofmann/Getty ImagesWhat next for Ilia Gruev as Bulgarian falls down pecking order…
A penny for Gruev’s thoughts. A player Daniel Farke trusts, a player who was often relied upon last term to come into the side when Leeds needed to be defensively solid. A player who has always given his all.
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But with Longstaff arriving this week and Stach potentially following, Gruev immediately becomes the fifth-choice midfielder. Ethan Ampadu is the club’s captain, and Ao Tanaka is arguably the best player.
Longstaff and Stach will certainly push Ampadu and Tanaka, and possibly start ahead of them. Perhaps, Farke is going to revert to a more defensive 4-3-3 system, meaning there are more players needed.
That would mean Gruev is still required, given there are more positions to be covered. But certainly, the signings of Longstaff and potentially Stach mean Gruev’s hopes of starting are severely diminished.