The Tigers hope to be reunited with their former loan forward in the not-too-distant future
Barry is the Hull City correspondent, and previously covered Nottingham Forest for the Nottingham Post/Nottinghamshire Live. Barry has reported on Hull City’s League One title success and Championship campaigns
Hull City are locked in talks with Leeds United over a loan deal that would see Joe Gelhardt make his return to the MKM Stadium, in the hope of getting a deal wrapped up quickly.
City want Gelhardt back, while Sergej Jakirovic is keen to bring him to the club having been impressed with what he saw from the 23-year-old in the second half of last season, and crucially, Gelhardt wants City.
The Liverpudlian has been told he will not play at Elland Road this season, and therefore, can find a new club and now, the Tigers are close to snapping him up.
Gelhardt netted five times in the second half of last season, goals that were crucial in helping the Tigers stay in the division. Such were their troubles in front of goal, he finished the campaign as the club’s joint-second top scorer, just one behind Joao Pedro.
Of course, goals are vitally important, especially for a player at the top of the pitch, but Gelhardt’s all-round influence last term was crucial. He created moments, carried a threat and was direct. It wasn’t all plain sailing for him, but he showed enough to convince Jakirovic that he can be effective in his system.
Importantly, Gelhardt is a character. A bubbly, popular, effervescent character and one that is good for the dressing room. He’s got a close relationship with the likes of Charlie Hughes and Kyle Joseph, and after arriving in January, he became a real figurehead, and the fans loved him.
His career needs a change, and in reality, it’s a shame City cannot make it permanent and give him a fresh break from Leeds United and a chance to really get things back on track at a new club.
For now, a loan move is the only possible way for him to get the move to City that he craves, and for Jakirovic, that’s music to his ears. As for the Tigers, signing a player who still has his best years ahead of him is a no-brainer, especially given their transfer restrictions.
Creativity last season was a real problem; it was why their struggles against the drop went to the final day of the season, and it’s something Jakirovic knows he must correct. Gelhardt can operate in attack on his own, but perhaps, his best position is off the main striker.
In his short spell at City, he was occasionally played behind the frontman, be that Pedro or Kyle Joseph and it was effective, though he spent more of his time playing off the flanks.
There is potential for him to strike up quite a positive relationship with Oliver McBurnie, and with him being left-footed, he has something a little bit different in the top third of the pitch.
He still has a lot to prove, certainly to others if not himself having shot to fame at Wigan Athletic and getting his big move to Elland Road. That potential could be realised under Jakirovic in a new-look system and without the shackles of last term’s fight against relegation.
It’s a deal that City and Gelhardt want to get done, and if they can get it over the line, it would represent one of the best pieces of business they could do this summer, given their predicament.
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