Leeds United transfer delay on Joe Gelhardt makes no sense, he must go now
Daniel Farke has some important decisions to make in the January transfer window as he looks to have Leeds United in the strongest position possible to secure promotion.
Although the boss has expressed his desire not to make too many changes at Elland Road, with plenty of football left to be played, the Whites will need the squad depth to see them through.
However, it’s not just additions that need to be sanctioned, there will need to be discussions on outgoings too.
One man who has been linked with a temporary move away is Joe Gelhardt after his failure to make his mark at Elland Road despite an exciting breakthrough.
The 22-year-old has made just two league appearances for Farke this term and allowing Gelhardt to depart might allow the boss some room to bring in attacking reinforcements.
The Hull Daily Mail reported (7 January) that Hull City are leading the race to sign the youngster on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
However, the outlet reported that an exit will only be sanctioned once the extent of Patrick Bamford’s hamstring injury is known.
Leeds United have no reason to keep Joe Gelhardt at Elland Road
Leeds have had an excellent campaign but more consistency up top would be a bonus, with Joel Piroe the most regular source of goals, while Mateo Joseph still has another goalscoring gear to find.
However, to let the decision on Gelhardt’s future at Elland Road rest on the fitness of Bamford seems like a bizarre choice from the West Yorkshire outfit given neither player has been chosen as a proper option by the manager this term.
Bamford himself has made just 10 Championship appearances so far this term, all of which have come from the bench and with no goals under his belt, it’s clear that his best days at Leeds are over.
However, Gelhardt has also played just eight minutes of league football for the Whites this season and it is clear that a loan move is necessary to ensure he doesn’t stagnate, especially given he is unlikely to get a look-in at Elland Road.
There is no need for Leeds to dither on this decision and rather they should be prioritising getting the 22-year-old on loan while bringing proper reinforcements in from elsewhere to assist their promotion push.
In other Leeds news, Farke could be set to sanction an exit for another Leeds star in January.
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