Gelhardt Leeds United exit mooted for January after what has happened this term
Joe Gelhardt exiting Leeds United on loan in the January transfer window would suit “all concerned”, Adam Pope has said.
The 22-year-old has played just nine minutes of Championship football this term and is now the fourth-choice striker behind the likes of Joel Piroe, Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford.
A number of teams have already been linked with a move for the Englishman but nothing has yet come to fruition [Graeme Bailey, 21 December].
Writing for the BBC Sport website (28 December), BBC Leeds journalist Pope has shared why a loan move would be the best thing for both parties.
“Joe Gelhardt is the other forward who has dropped off the radar. We have been told he has had a few injury concerns but, after a spell at Sunderland last year, nine minutes of Championship football this term suggests another loan would suit all concerned,” he wrote.
Joe Gelhardt needs to leave Leeds United as soon as possible
This season, much like Bamford, Gelhardt has been overlooked by Daniel Farke for Leeds’ starting XI.
The duo of Piroe and Joseph have led the line for most of the season and while both have had their impressive performances here and there, it feels like more could still come from the team.
A couple of years ago, Gelhardt was touted to be the next big thing to come from Elland Road but due to injuries and a couple of poor loan spells, things haven’t quite worked out.
He may still be under contract with the West Yorkshire outfit and it’s likely that the player he once was is still in there but unless he gets some regular game time under his belt, it feels like he could wither into nothingness.
If Farke wants the former Wigan talisman to be part of the Whites’ future, he needs to sanction a loan deal for him as soon as possible.
In other Leeds news, a decision has been made in the Junior Firpo contract saga according to a former Leeds star.
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