The forward is into the last year of his Elland Road contract
Oli McBurnie embraces Joe Gelhardt after the win at Wembley(Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A quick scan of Leeds United’s squad list for their pre-season trip to America has one or two notable omissions, but for Hull City, it’s the absence of Joe Gelhardt that resonates with supporters.
While there may be first-team players like Noah Okafor not on the flight across the Atlantic, Gelhardt’s absence won’t be a huge surprise to United followers.
It’s been plainly obvious for over a year that the forward does not feature in Daniel Farke’s plans, having twice been allowed to go on loan to City, and if there was any indication that he could force his way into the German’s thinking for the new season, then being taken to the US would have been it.
As it is, Gelhardt will be left behind at Thorpe Arch and forced to train with the Under-21s, a far cry from the cult-hero status he’s earned at City.
For a player who bagged 15 goals in the Championship last season to help the Tigers win promotion, Gelhardt deserves better, and he has earned a move befitting of his talent.
The 24-year-old remains on City’s list of possible targets, albeit one that stretches the length of the River Humber, and he could yet end up at the MKM Stadium before the transfer window closes.
No deal has yet been agreed, and it feels like the Tigers want to land their primary targets first, which is fair enough because there’s an awful lot of work that needs doing to the squad to get it ready for the Premier League.
While many of their deals are complex and for big money, bringing in Gelhardt feels like a no-brainer. He would be relatively cheap, certainly compared to some of the deals they’re involved in. He’s young enough to still get better and wouldn’t need any time to settle into the dressing room.
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Yes, he had a difficult second half of last season after sustaining a calf injury in early December, but he still returned with big goals at Wrexham and in the second leg of the play-off semi-final win at Millwall.
There should be no hint of signing a player for sentimental purposes. This isn’t the time for that, and with a transfer budget that goes only so far, they must be prudent. However, Gelhardt has room to improve, to make the step up, and while he may not be considered a regular starter next term, he’s a player that can have an impact off the bench, and certainly around the squad.
Gelhardt is certainly a player the manager values highly and wants to bring back to the club, and though it remains to be seen if it’s something that the Tigers pursue as the weeks go on, it would certainly represent a solid, sensible piece of business and one that would make an awful lot of sense.
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