Leeds United: Joe Gelhardt and Charlie Cresswell ruthlessly axed again in Norwich win, January transfer exits on cards
Leeds United are in danger of seeing two of their most talented academy graduates Joe Gelhardt and Charlie Cresswell quit Elland Road in January after another brutal Farke snub against Norwich.
The Whites fought back from 2-0 down at Norwich City as Daniel Farke’s return to Carrow Road ended in a thrilling Championship win on Saturday (22 October).
After going two goals behind in the first half at Carrow Road, a Shane Duffy own goal was followed up by a superb Summerville double to secure the Whites a 3-2 win.
The result lifts Leeds United up to third in the Championship table on 22 points from a possible 36 on offer and within six points of high-flying second-placed Ipswich Town.
While Farke will be delighted at the result on his old stomping ground, he could well be left to deal with the unhappy stances of both Cresswell and Gelhardt who were somewhat left out of the squad for Saturday’s game.
Leeds Live journalist Beren Cross shared footage of the squad arriving at Carrow Road on Twitter (21 October), with the news that both players were nowhere to be seen in East Anglia.
Fresh off a successful loan spell at Millwall last season and helping England to win the European Under-21 Championship back in June, the centre-back signed a deal until June 2027 (official website, 1 August).
And yet, less than two months later, Cresswell’s future at Leeds looks quite unclear with just three starts in all competitions this term, but only one of those in the Championship with two coming in the Carabao Cup.
The same can be said for Gelhardt who has become an unfortunate afterthought at Elland Road, given the huge promise he holds within the club and the fans.
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].
However, since his last appearance in the EFL Cup defeat to Salford City in late August, Gelhardt has either been left to rot on the bench in all of the Whites Championship ties since then and now being axed completely from the 18-man squad against Norwich.
It’s even more baffling on Cresswell’s part given he made a rampant impression for the England under-21s during the international break.
Despite his lack of minutes for his club, England under-21 manager Lee Carsley still picked him for the upcoming internationals and he succeeded with tremendous aplomb against Serbia as the European Champions ran out 9-1 winners on Thursday night.
The Elland Road sensational won 100% of his aerial duels (8/8), recorded 98 touches, successfully completed 86% of his passes, won a whopping nine of his duels, registered two interceptions, and one clearance and could well have capped off his complete performance with a goal [SofaScore].
Cresswell and Gelhardt have such stark potential and a high ceiling within the Thorp Arch camp but right now look like two players who may not reach their potential because of a lack of minutes.
After Farke’s latest snub, both players will now feel they are well-positioned to make exit demands for the January window, their immediate careers depend on it.
In other Leeds United news, the club could be set to throw millions away as Phil Hay shares a multi-million-pound update on loanee Sam Greenwood.