Joe Gelhardt could call for crunch Leeds United talks after another Daniel Farke snub v Watford
Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt has swiftly become an afterthought at Elland Road and he may force Daniel Farke into crunch talks after yet another snub in their 3-0 win against Watford.
Goals from summer signings Joel Piroe, Sam Byram and Jaidon Anthony ensured a dominant display on a comfortable afternoon in front of the home support at Elland Road, a win which puts them amongst the top six on 13 points.
Farke will have been absolutely delighted at the form of his attacking stars right now but it was another game in which he made a brutal call on Gelhardt who was forced to watch his teammates shine without him.
The former on-loan Sunderland star enjoyed a fair run of games to start out the campaign back in the English second division, featuring in all of their first four games, registering just one goal in the EFL Cup win over Shrewsbury [SofaScore].
Now, it appears as though the forward has now fallen well down the pecking order under new boss Farke with the German preferring Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter as his preferred options in attack, and rightly so after their terrific form.
It’s been a mixed time for Gelhardt since he arrived at Elland Road from Wigan Athletic three years ago after breaking onto the scene with some impressive performances for the Lancashire club and emerging as one of the hottest prospects outside of the Premier League.
He is one of a number of young English talents the Whites have scooped up in recent years in the hope that they could one day play a major role in the first team in the future.
The club showed last year that they believe in Gelhardt’s potential after handing him a new five-year contract that will run until the summer of 2027 and even handing him a promising loan at Sunderland which ultimately proved rather unfruitful.
On his return to Leeds, he was linked with a permanent move back to the Stadium of Light but that never materialised.
Italian side Lecce were surprisingly also credited with an interest in the forward during the summer as there was a belief that he could “explode” if he was given the right opportunity.
However, he remained at Elland Road with a view to finally making his mark in Farke’s new and finally improved squad but after starting the Whites’ first four games, he’s now become a forgotten man.
As a result, it is difficult to see when Gelhardt will feature as a starter at Elland Road which means these next few months could well be a very tough one for him, with Patrick Bamford expected back from injury soon (Leeds Live, 20 September).
That could push him further down Farke’s thinking and it won’t be a surprise to see Gelhardt kick off talks with Farke regarding his future at Elland Road with his development and exposure now taking a major hit after his latest snub.
How quickly things change in a young player’s career after an impressive breakthrough, and in Gelhardt’s case, it seems as if he is stuck between a rock and a hard place at Elland Road.
He’s got to do what’s best for him and that means demanding a possible January exit if these snubs continue.
In other Leeds United news, one summer Elland Road-linked player shared why he rejected the chance to join after a multi-million deal was agreed.