Leeds United's stance on January recall as loan club want permanent transfer
Joe Gelhardt has been in scintillating form since leaving Leeds United on loan for Hull City.
Leeds United have no plans to recall Joe Gelhardt in January with Hull City eyeing up a permanent move in the summer, according to reports.
Gelhardt has been in red-hot form since returning to the MKM Stadium for a second loan spell in August, registering seven goals and two assists in 15 Championship appearances. The 23-year-old earned comparisons to Arsenal great Dennis Bergkamp from his own manager after an outstanding winner in a 3-2 victory over Portsmouth earlier this month.
Parent club Leeds have been struggling for goals in the Premier League - no one in Daniel Farke’s squad is above two - which, coupled with Gelhardt’s form, has seen the subject of a mid-season recall emerge in some sections of the fanbase. The Whites are believed to have that option for a period early in January but aren’t likely to act on it.
Hull Live reports Leeds have ‘no plans’ to recall Gelhardt once the January window opens, with the belief being he is best placed to continue developing at the MKM Stadium. Indeed, those in charge at the Championship club are hopeful of securing a permanent move for the Liverpudlian come summer.
Leeds had initially been open to selling Gelhardt ahead of their Premier League return, with hope they could get between £3-4million, but his desire to re-join Hull complicated matters. The Tigers are currently under an EFL embargo preventing them from completing any fee-paying transfers, making a permanent deal impossible.
Hull are expected to have that embargo lifted before the summer window and, according to the report, would like to make Gelhardt’s loan permanent. At that point, the young forward will still have a year left on his Leeds contract, which expires in 2027.
Could Joe Gelhardt return to Leeds United next summer?
While Gelhardt looks almost certain to remain at Hull for the rest of this season, his future beyond then is undecided. Should Leeds retain their Premier League status, they would be expected to invest heavily in their entire squad which would make it hard for the former Wigan Athletic man to break into the first-team picture.
Leeds are only one point clear of the bottom three at things stand, however, and instant relegation is a very real possibility. Should the Whites drop back into the Championship, a decision on Gelhardt will be less clear given how he’s impressed at that level with Hull for almost a year now.
Gelhardt’s future is unlikely to be addressed until the point at which Leeds either survive or are relegated, with plenty to do before then. Elland Road recruitment chiefs will currently be weighing up whether to reinforce Farke’s squad once the January window opens after falling short over the summer.
Leeds failed to get a fourth attacker through the door after their deadline-day move for Fulham’s Harry Wilson collapsed in the final minutes, a short-coming which has already been regularly revisited amid ongoing issues in front of goal. Farke’s squad also still has two Premier League loan slots waiting to be filled.