Credit: Breaking Media

Daniel Lewis

Fri 20 March 2026 7:10, UK

Anton Stach may well have Daniel Farke to thank after Julian Nagelsmann opened up on his decision to call the Leeds United star up to his Germany squad.

The 27-year-old was named in the senior side on Thursday for the first time since 2022, when he won his only two caps.

Germany have two friendlies to come this month – a clash with Switzerland on 27 March, followed by a meeting with Ghana three days later.

Stach will seemingly play in at least one of those games and now has a shot at nailing down a squad place for the 2026 World Cup.

While the midfielder’s immediate focus will be on Leeds’ clash with Brentford this weekend, he can be forgiven for having one eye on those international games.

Julian Nagelsmann opens up on Anton Stach’s Germany call-up

Stach’s inclusion in Nagelsmann’s last squad prior to the World Cup was somewhat surprising, given it was only a few weeks ago the Germany head coach was somewhat criticising the midfielder.

Nagelsmann said in an interview that Stach is “not exceptionally strong in the air” and “not top in recoveries”.

This was seen as a slight swipe at the Leeds favourite, but his strengths clearly outweigh those perceived negatives.

Indeed, Nagelsmann was asked about those past comments and his decision to call up Stach when speaking to reporters on Thursday.

“We wanted a No. 6 with a different profile,” he said. “His journey has been from a No. 6 to a No. 4 and then up to a No. 8.

“Stach hasn’t had a chance to prove himself with us yet. He’s playing with Leeds. Unlike Leon [Goretzka] with Bayern and even Robert [Andrich] with Leverkusen, Leeds aren’t favoured to win many matches in the Premier League. We want to see how he can give to us with [this underdog mentality]. 

“He was very happy [with the call-up]. He was euphoric upon receiving the call and will see if he can bring this euphoria with him this week. It meant a lot to him that he was valued. We’ll see if he can slip in and compete with a few of the other players I’ve mentioned.”

Nagelsmann made clear that Stach’s midfield strengths are the reason he is part of the squad. Interestingly, Stach was listed under the defensive players in the squad on Thursday.

Why is Daniel Farke partly to thank for Stach call-up?

It must be remembered that Stach, as well as playing in the backline, was primarily a deep-lying midfielder at Hoffenheim in the past.

At Elland Road under Farke, he has been rounded into more of a box-to-box player who is capable of doing a bit of everything.

Stach has also gained a reputation of being a bit of a set-piece specialist and someone who is capable of finding the net.

The bottom line is that Stach is now a better player than he was prior to arriving at Leeds, no doubt helped by the improved quality of players in the Premier League.

Leeds’ tag as “underdogs”, as Nagelsmann put it, has also worked in Stach’s favour.

The ball is now very much in the midfielder’s court, and every Leeds fan will have their fingers crossed he can truly show what he is capable of.