Leeds United were minutes away from a vital away win at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Unfortunately, Tammy Abraham spoiled Leeds’ Premier League trip to Villa Park by popping up with his first league strike back at Unai Emery’s men, with just two minutes remaining in normal time.
In the grand scheme of things, however, Daniel Farke‘s side should be happy with a share of the points, with Villa still fixed in a title race at the very top of the division.
Additionally, that point means Leeds remain comfortably above the drop zone, with a six-point buffer between themselves and West Ham United still in play, as Anton Stach continues to endear himself to the West Yorkshire masses by smashing home more and more audacious strikes.
Why Stach has been such an impressive signing for Leeds
Amazingly, Stach’s sublime effort, which wrongfooted Emiliano Martinez, is the third time this season that the fearless German has put away a stunning free-kick, having also scored from a similar situation against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace.
This is an unbelievable weapon for Farke to have on his side, but Stach’s game is far more varied than just stealing headlines for pulling off the unthinkable from distance.
Indeed, away from bagging four goals and posting three assists in the Premier League, Stach has also averaged 4.2 ball recoveries and won 4.9 duels won per league match this season, as an energetic, busy-body from the middle of the park.
This was clear for all to see against Villa, with the lively number 18 winning two duels and amassing two key passes to try to unlock the home side’s defence.
Leeds have been immediately vindicated for their lavish summer spending by how instantaneously Stach has managed to fit into Farke’s system, with the ex-Hoffenheim midfielder costing a high £17.4m to bring to England
He’s far from the only summer recruit who has impressed, though.
Summer signing is worth more than Stach at Leeds
Surprisingly, despite impressing so much during the early days of his Elland Road career, Stach’s transfer value – as per Football Transfers – sits at around the £15m mark.
On the contrary, Jaka Bijol has only seen his value increase since swapping Udinese for a chance at Premier League glory in West Yorkshire, with the Slovenian sticking out as a sharp bit of business when joining for £15m.
The forceful 27-year-old has consistently stood out as a man for the big occasion, with his powerful header against Chelsea at the start of December kickstarting a very impressive winter run of form for the 6-foot-3 defender.
Indeed, an assist also came Bijol’s way against Crystal Palace towards the end of the bumper month, while January was also kind to the £15m purchase, as he won a combined eight duels against Liverpool and Manchester United to secure two hard-fought draws. Such performances have drawn acclaim from many, including ex Premier League scout Mick Brown who celebrated the centre-back as “fantastic.”
|
Bijol’s Leeds numbers |
|
|---|---|
|
Games played |
16 |
|
Goals scored |
1 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Clean sheets |
1 |
|
Value when joining |
£15m |
|
Value now |
£19m |
|
Value increase |
£4m |
The authoritative number 15 didn’t start against Villa, as Farke opted for James Justin instead, but that shouldn’t take away from his sublime Leeds career to date, with Football Transfers now estimating that Bijol is worth around £19m, even more than the impressive Stach.
His dominant performances for the relegation-threatened outfit haven’t gone unnoticed in the wider football world, either, with Arne Slot’s Liverpool reported to be looking at the towering Slovenian as a defensive option for next season, as they rebuild at the back.
For the time being, though, Leeds will just hope they can continue to get the very best out of their ex-Udinese brute, with both Bijol and Stach going down as even firmer fan favourites, if survival is clinched.
Better than Stach: Leeds star is looking like another Ampadu under Farke
This Leeds star shone in their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa