English striker open to Leeds summer switch, first-team role on the cards – YEP journo
Wigan striker Joe Gelhardt is open to joining Leeds United on a permanent basis this summer, according to Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth.
Writing on the newspaper’s website, Smyth said that Leeds believe they have a good chance of signing the 18-year-old forward, but a deal lies in the hands of the Wigan administrators, who have already sold Alfie Devine to Tottenham and Jensen Weir to Brighton for a combined total of £800,000.
Wigan entered administration at the start of July and have since been relegated to League One.
Gelhardt played a first-team role for the Latics this season by appearing 19 times in all competitions and scoring one goal in the process, which came against Hull City in September.
It is understood that Gelhardt has a chance of getting a first-team role at Leeds next season if he joined this summer, and that seems to be an advantage that the Whites have in the race for his signature.
The England Under-18 international is a very highly-rated young talent who’s been compared to Wayne Rooney.
Marcelo Bielsa likes to integrate younger players into his senior squad, with a high number of players being handed their first-team debuts by the Argentine in the last two years.
Pascal Struijk, Oliver Casey, Leif Davis, Mateusz Bogusz, Alfie McCalmont, Jordan Stevens, Robbie Gotts and Ian Poveda are among the youngsters who Bielsa has used this season.
Gelhardt will surely see that and that is bound to lure him towards Elland Road as a move away from Wigan looks inevitable due to the Lancashire club’s perilous financial situation.
In other Leeds United news, this 24-year-old is expected to leave Elland Road permanently this summer.