Joe Gelhardt drops major hint about Leeds United future as conditions named
Leeds United may have secured their promotion to the Premier League, but Daniel Farke will soon turn his attention to the summer transfer window.
The Whites smashed Stoke City 6-0 on Monday (21 April) to help secure their automatic promotion to the top flight, but that is only half the battle achieved at Elland Road.
The focus for Farke is now on strengthening the squad for life in the Premier League in the hopes of establishing a position at the very top.
Joe Gelhardt shares Leeds future hint
Having made just two appearances for Leeds, Joe Gelhardt was loaned out to Hull City in the winter transfer window for the remainder of the campaign.
The 22-year-old has made 18 Championship appearances since his move across Yorkshire, contributing to the Tigers’ fight for safety in the second-tier.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 18 | 5 | 0 |
As Leeds now look ahead to the Premier League, this raises questions about what the future holds for loanees such as Gelhardt.
After netting twice for the Tigers in their 2-1 victory against Preston on Monday, the forward has shown what he can do in front of goal.
However, when asked about what his future holds, he admitted to Hull Live (23 April): “I wasn’t playing at Leeds, and now I’ve got a taste of football.
“I don’t want to be sitting on a bench and not playing football. I’ve enjoyed it so much here, so I’d like to play football again next year. I don’t know where that’s going to be, but I definitely want to be playing football.”
Leeds and Gelhardt to part ways
In fairness to Gelhardt, he’s gone on loan and picked up regular minutes while contributing to his side’s efforts, which is exactly what you want to see from a temporary exit.
However, surely Farke won’t be considering keeping him on the books in West Yorkshire now promotion has been secured.
It has been made clear over the past number of years that the boss is not a massive fan of the forward, with opportunities being limited.
Although his loan spell has gone positively, the parameters for success at Elland Road have suddenly changed, with extending a stay in the top flight now the main aim of the new campaign.
Furthermore, having been playing in a side fighting relegation at the bottom of the Championship puts an even bigger gulf between where the two parties are and it’s a struggle to see them aligning.
Gelhardt is enjoying getting regular minutes and it seems he is willing to push for that guarantee again next season, which makes it very unlikely he will be playing in the white of Leeds.