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How Farke has unearthed a Stach and Calvert-Lewin hybrid for Leeds

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Published Sep 8, 2026, 7:10 AM GMT+1

Daniel is an experienced football writer and editor with more than a decade of experience covering the professional game, specialising in the Championship, Football League and Scottish football, alongside in-depth coverage of Norwich City, Celtic and Rangers.

A journalist since 2015, Daniel began his career writing for Fresh Press before progressing into a full-time writing and editing role, producing club-focused coverage for Read Norwich, Read Celtic, Read Liverpool and Read Arsenal. He later spent almost a year with Liverpool-based outlet Anfield Watch, where his work included conducting and transcribing interviews with figures including Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, former Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa and journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Daniel has worked with Snack Media (now Valnet) since 2021, contributing to Football FanCast as both a writer and editor. His work focuses particularly on player analysis, transfer insight and original football features, combining detailed knowledge of the game with research-driven assessment of players, clubs and potential moves.

His specialist knowledge of Norwich City and the Football League has also seen him contribute to BBC Norfolk and assist DAZN with research for commentary broadcasts. As a Norwich City season-ticket holder, Daniel brings a level of first-hand knowledge of the club and its players that complements his wider expertise across the Championship and EFL. His Norwich coverage has also featured in publications including the Coventry Telegraph and Liverpool Echo.

Alongside his Football League expertise, Daniel has covered Celtic and Rangers extensively, developing a strong understanding of Scottish football. His work gives readers informed transfer assessment, detailed player analysis and authoritative insight into clubs and competitions he has spent years following and reporting on.

Leeds United have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the 2026/27 campaign in all competitions after their 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

Daniel Farke's side beat Nottingham Forest in both of their first two games, in the Premier League and the League Cup, before successive draws against Brentford and Brighton.

The West Yorkshire outfit are looking to kick on after they finished 14th in the top-flight in their first season back in the division after earning promotion from the Championship.

It is not easy for newly-promoted teams to adapt to the league, as Coventry City are finding out, but Leeds managed it by recruiting in a way that has set them up for success.

The transfer secret to Leeds' success in the Premier League

Last summer, Farke and the recruitment team clearly placed an emphasis on bringing in players who could raise the physical levels of the squad, both in terms of mobility and strength.

As much as supporters want to see excitement and technical quality, the Premier League is an incredibly intense and physical league and you need players who can cope with that.

The likes of Anton Stach and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in particular, thrived at Elland Road because of the physical qualities that they brought to the team.

Calvert-Lewin scored 14 goals, including three headers, and averaged 3.7 aerial battles won per game, whilst Stach came over from the Bundesliga and won 53% of his total duels and 62% of his aerial contests.

Leeds summer signings in 2025

Player

Height

Lucas Perri	6 foot 6
Anton Stach	6 foot 4
Sebastiaan Bornauw	6 foot 3
Jaka Bijol	6 foot 3
Dominic Calvert-Lewin	6 foot 2
Sean Longstaff	6 foot 2
Lukas Nmecha	6 foot 1
Noah Okafor	6 foot 1
James Justin	6 foot
Gabriel Gudmundsson	5 foot 11

Gabriel Gudmundsson was the only 2025 summer signing under 6 foot and six players over 6 foot 1 were brought in to bolster the strength and physicality of the group, and it clearly worked.

Leeds targeted physical players who could hit the ground running and cope with the league, which was the secret behind their success, and they used the same logic for some of their signings this year.

How Leeds have unearthed a Stach and Calvert-Lewin hybrid

Due to the £34m spent on Tarik Muharemovic and the £40m spent on bringing James Trafford to the club, one of Farke's summer signings has already gone under the radar, inside and outside of Elland Road.

As Sebastiaan Bornauw left to sign for Hamburg on loan, Leeds moved to bring Nico Elvedi to West Yorkshire from Borussia Monchengladbach for a fee of around £8.5m.

The central defender made more appearances (34) than any other player during Farke's spell in charge of the German side before he moved to Leeds, and the manager opted to reunite with the Swiss star this summer.

Due to his pre-existing relationship with the head coach, the defender has been able to hit the ground running at Elland Road without a period of adaptation, playing 236 minutes over the last three games in all competitions.

The 29-year-old defender already looks to have followed in Stach's footsteps by immediately adapting to the physicality of English football after coming over from the Bundesliga.

Elvedi won six of his ten duels on his debut against Nottingham Forest and delivered an eye-catching defensive display against Brighton last weekend.

Vs Brighton

Nico Elvedi

Minutes	90
Defensive contributions	10
Interceptions	1
Clearances	7
Blocks	2
Aerial duels won	4/8
Pass accuracy	86%

He made ten defensive contributions to help his side to earn a draw away from home in the Premier League, putting his body on the line to make two blocks to protect Trafford's goal.

It is not just defensively that Elvedi has impressed, though, as he has also shown a Calvert-Lewin level threat when attacking set-pieces, creating two 'big chances' with headed balls across the box from set plays on Saturday.

Elvedi has created three chances and two 'big chances' in three appearances for the Whites in all competitions, after he created three 'big chances' and assisted two goals in the Bundesliga last term.

The Swiss star, who assisted at least one goal in four of his last five seasons with Gladbach, carries an aerial threat in the opposition's box, just as Calvert-Lewin does, and that could prove valuable over the course of the Premier League campaign.

Leeds ranked sixth for set-piece goals in the league last season, with 16 goals scored, and adding Elvedi to the squad could see them move higher up that list by the end of the 2026/27 campaign.

The 6 foot 2 star already looks like a terrific addition to the squad as an experienced defender who offers defensive quality, physicality, and a threat in the final third, blending together the strengths that Stach and Calvert-Lewin brought to the side last term.

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