The January transfer window is still a couple of months away, but one pundit believes that once 2025 starts, a Leeds United player needs to leave Elland Road to jumpstart his young career elsewhere.
Joe Gelhardt has become a forgotten man at Leeds as the 22-year-old is fourth in the striker pecking order behind Mateo Joseph, Joel Piroe, and Patrick Bamford. Moreover, this season, he’s only made three appearances and has played a total of 72 minutes.
Gelhardt has been with Leeds United since 2020 after departing Wigan Athletic, but he has yet to establish himself as a marquee player for the Whites. The forward has made 57 appearances across all competitions while scoring three goals and recording five assists.
Is a January departure for Joe Gelhardt coming?
Former midfielder David Norris believes that Gelhardt should leave Leeds this January to get more playing time and kickstart his career. The player is in his early 20s and needs the minutes to prove himself a player at the Championship level.
“I think it’s the right time now for Gelhardt to move on as soon as he can,” Norris told MOT Leeds News. “It’s been a couple of years now of inconsistent football for him, and you get the feeling maybe that he’s had enough and isn’t invested anymore.
“I feel for him as he did well in parts in the Premier League, but now he’s at the age when you want to be playing consistently and he’s not going to get enough game time at Leeds.”
While at Leeds, Gelhardt went out on loan to Sunderland in 2023, where he made 20 appearances while scoring three goals and recording three assists for the Black Cats. Nonetheless, it was a short stint as the player wouldn’t stay long-term.
It will be interesting to see if the striker leaves when the January window opens or if Leeds wants to keep the player for depth purposes. While the No. 9 position isn’t experiencing an injury crisis just yet, other areas on the team could prompt Leeds to be cautious about allowing players to leave as promotion is the sole focus right now.
