Adam Pope reveals what Leeds United contacts have told him about Gelhardt exit
Joe Gelhardt is expected to seal a loan move away from Leeds United this month with Hull City a likely destination, Adam Pope has said.
Speaking on BBC Radio Humberside (7 January), Pope said “contacts close to the situation” had told him that Gelhardt departing Elland Road before 3 February is likely, with several clubs interested.
Hull are close to agreeing a deal with the Whites to take Gelhardt to the MKM Stadium for the rest of the season, with the 22-year-old having made just two Championship appearances off the bench this term.
Pope said: “Speaking to contacts close to the situation, I think everybody’s expecting a loan move for Joe, like he had at Sunderland last season.
“It was just where – and today Hull City’s name come up again as one of several interested parties. I think it’s very likely he will go out on loan, but where, I can’t be certain.”
Joe Gelhardt on the brink of overdue Leeds United exit
It’s fair to say that since United’s relegation back to the Championship – and arguably since the start of the 2022/23 season which sent them there – Gelhardt’s development at Elland Road has stalled.
He’s far from the only player this is applicable to – see Illan Meslier’s display against Hull – who is still on the books in LS11, but having hardly been given a sniff his season, Gelhardt does need to move on.
The former Wigan Athletic forward remains a player capable of breaking games open at his best, but he’s been unable to ever show that ability, only making fleeting substitute appearances here and there.
Having been a serial bench-warmer for the past two seasons at Elland Road, making a mere 12 league appearances with just two starts, it’s hardly surprising to see Gelhardt finally on the brink of an exit.
Hull could well be the destination for Gelhardt as they face a battle at the opposite end of the table, and having made his name in the Peacocks’ own relegation fight in 2022, it could be a perfect move for him.
In other Leeds news, Elland Road sources have called selling one of the club’s star players last summer a “blessing in disguise”.
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