Ipswich Town and Hull City are two of the many teams hoping to avoid a relegation from the Premier League in the upcoming 2026/27 campaign.
The two clubs have been promoted from the Championship alongside Coventry City and do not want to go straight back down to the second tier at the first attempt.
Both teams have clear examples to follow after Leeds United and Sunderland both came up and impressed in the Premier League last season.
The Whites and the Black Cats both excelled in the top-flight after nailing their recruitment during the summer transfer window, with Anton Stach one example of the many great additions they made.
Why Ipswich and Hull need their own Anton Stach
Leeds splashed the cash to sign the German central midfielder from Hoffenheim for a fee of around £17m to bolster Daniel Farke’s squad last summer, and it turned out to be a fantastic piece of business.
The 6 foot 4 colossus hit the ground running in the Premier League and provided quality both on and off the ball in the middle of the park for the newly-promoted side.
Stach racked up five goals from 2.93 xG for Leeds, including three direct free-kicks, whilst also providing his teammates with three assists, as he made a big impact at the top end of the pitch.
It was not just his play in the final third that caught the eye, though, as the 27-year-old talent also adapted well to the physicality of the Premier League.
|
25/26 Premier League |
Anton Stach |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
29 |
|
Tackles per game |
2.2 |
|
Interceptions per game |
0.7 |
|
Duels won per game |
5.3 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
50% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
62% |
Ipswich and Hull need to find a midfielder who can have a similar impact in the middle of the park, as they will need stars who can be effective both in and out of possession if they want to have a chance of staying in the top-flight.
Ipswich and Hull competing for their own Anton Stach
Now, both of those clubs are looking at a player who could arrive in the Premier League this summer as the division’s new version of Stach.
Football Insider reports that Ipswich Town and Hull City are two of the teams battling it out to sign Nelson Deossa from Real Betis before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Spanish side are ‘reluctantly’ prepared to cash in on the Colombian talent in order to add more funds to their own transfer budget, which has opened the door for several teams.
Leeds, West Ham United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers are also said to be keen on the 26-year-old star, which means that Ipswich and Hull have plenty of competition for his services.
The central midfielder, who has been touted at a fee of around £13m by reports earlier this month, could be a fantastic signing for one of the two newly-promoted clubs.
Deossa joined Betis from Monterrey last summer and did not enjoy the best of first seasons in Spain, as he failed to score any goals, but his form in previous years suggests that he does not have the potential to be an effective attacking outlet.
|
Nelson Deossa’s club career |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Goals |
Assists |
|
25/26 |
0 |
1 |
|
2025 |
7 |
1 |
|
2024 |
10 |
6 |
|
2023 |
5 |
3 |
|
2022 |
2 |
0 |
His return of goals and assists during his time in South America, in Mexico and Colombia, shows that he is a central midfielder who has the quality to make an impact in the final third, just like Stach.
He even showcased his attacking ability against Premier League opposition in a recent friendly, scoring a goal and providing an assist in a 3-1 win for Real Betis over champions Arsenal.
Like Stach, though, Deossa does not just provide a threat at the top end of the pitch. The Colombian star is also a physically impressive midfielder who can hold his own in duels.
In the 2025/26 campaign, the Ipswich and Hull target won 57% of his ground duels and 71% of his aerial duels across 20 outings in LaLiga for Real Betis, which shows that he can be dominant in his physical battles.
The Tractor Boys and the Tigers, therefore, should both be pushing to win the race for his signature because he could bolster their survival chances in the same way that Stach did for Leeds, by offering quality on and off the ball.


