Leeds United are not expecting any massive arrivals at Elland Road in January, but the club may move some players who want to leave the club.
Daniel Farke is keen on maintaining a good squad balance. The injuries in the team are the only reason he is looking at making some signings in January. Despite that, Leeds have been in very good form this season. The club took the chance to go top of the table after their return from the international break.
Two wins in their last two games see them top of the league with 32 points. It was a hard fought win away to Swansea that clinched their place at the top. Midweek, Daniel Farke’s men brushed away a Luton Town side in a very comfortable 3-0 win.
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Twist in Leeds United transfer saga
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One player to keep an eye on in the coming weeks is Joe Gelhardt. The youngster has made it clear that he wants to leave the club to play first team football. Since his return from a hip problem, he has not been named in any matchday squads. This has lead to news linking him with a move away from Elland Road, Scottish side Rangers seem to be the main suitors.
Former Leeds man Carlton Palmer says Rangers would ideally want a permanent deal in January, which could complicate things as it stands:
“One of the clubs really keen on him is Glasgow Rangers. They would prefer to strike a permanent deal to take the forward to Ibrox rather than strike a loan deal, or they want a clause where they can buy him after taking him on loan, which is always a sensible thing to do, because if a player goes out on loan you want the player to do well, but if he does well you want to be in the position to be able to sign him.
“If you don’t have a clause agreed to that, then it becomes a problem, so I understand why clubs aren’t willing to take players unless there’s a clause in place to buy them.
“But there’ll be no shortage of offers for the 22-year-old centre-forward if he’s available for loan. Stoke City, Portsmouth, Plymouth Argyle and Preston North End all have an interest in him.
“This would be a fantastic move for the young boy as he needs to go out and play, and while he’s a prospect and has a long-term contract at the football club, so if he’s going to leave they’ll want a sizeable amount of money for him to go so it looks like a loan is the best path out of the football club to get some football at this period of time.”
Leeds need to cash in on Gelhardt
The youngster needs to play, and there are a lot of interested clubs, Leeds can easily facilitate a move in January. The club could even end up making some money they could invest in the team. Daniel Farke has been looking for additions in midfield, and Josh Brownhill could be a target.
