Joe Gelhardt now surely set for Leeds United exit after contract news emerged at Elland Road yesterday
Joe Gelhardt is now surely set for an exit from Leeds United as contract news has emerged on fellow forward Mateo Joseph.
The Whites announced in a statement on their website on Friday (19 January) that the 20-year-old has signed a new long-term contract, which will keep him at Elland Road until 2028.
That could spell bad news for Gelhardt as the club have made a commitment to his teammate, who is currently battling with him for a place on the bench at Elland Road.
It’s been a mixed time for Gelhardt since he arrived at Leeds from Wigan Athletic three years ago after breaking onto the scene with some impressive performances for the Lancashire club.
But since making his first-team debut against Fulham in the Carabao Cup in 2021, the 21-year-old has been largely underwhelming despite showing early promise.
The forward hasn’t been completely short of chances after playing in up to 49 games for the club, having scored just three goals and laid on seven assists during that time.
Despite signing a new five-year contract in 2022, he really hasn’t kicked on in West Yorkshire, having been loaned out to Sunderland this time last year and then struggling for minutes since Daniel Farke took over at Elland Road.
He actually started in four of the Whites boss’s first seven competitive games in charge, as he scored in the 2-1 Carabao Cup victory over Shrewsbury Town.
But he has failed to make an impression in the Championship and has played just six minutes of football since August, raising doubts about his place in the German’s setup moving forward.
With Gelhardt likely to want to receive more first-team opportunities, there is a good chance that he’ll look to secure a move away in the future.
That could open the door for Joseph to step up and nail down his place as the fourth striker behind senior players Georginio Rutter, Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford.
That is something that could already be in motion after the Spanish-born forward, who plays for England U-20s, has featured five times off the bench in the past nine games.
There is, therefore, every reason to suggest that Farke now sees Joseph as his fourth option to lead the line moving forward.
That opens up the question around where Gelhardt stands now that the Whites boss knows he has another young, exciting forward that he can call upon to come in and do a job.
It’s a shame given that he showed some early promise, but it’s hard to see him really having a future at the club.
In other Leeds United news, Farke has shared the Whites’ stance on making a loan move permanent.
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