According to Phil Hay’s latest piece in The Athletic on potential transfer activity at Elland Road this January, Leeds United prospect Joe Gelhardt has attracted ‘significant loan interest’, with Championship side Swansea City reportedly keen on bringing the 20 year old across the Welsh border.
Gelhardt is highly rated at Leeds, but his game-time has been limited this season under head coach Jesse Marsch.
Lots of talk in the past 24 hours about Hoffenheim’s Georginio Rutter, story broken by @Plettigoal
A piece on where Leeds at with talks. Other options still there too, like Gyokeres.
Also, significant loan interest in Gelhardt, including from Swansea:https://t.co/aNsQEm2mOC
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) January 8, 2023
With talks supposedly in advanced stages between Leeds and Hoffenheim to bring 20 year old striker Georginio Rutter to Elland Road, it isn’t that hard to imagine that Gelhardt could see out the season on loan in the Championship. If Leeds do land the signature of Rutter, the fee is expected to be approximately €30 million – meaning he’s not coming in to warm the bench.
Gelhardt has registered 14 Premier League appearances for Leeds this season, but the English striker only made the starting lineup in one of these games, with his time on-field totalling to just 189 minutes.
Following Leeds’ recent 2-2 draw with West Ham at Elland Road, Marsch admitted that he should have brought the young striker on earlier in the game [via LeedsLive].
If Swansea are to land Gelhardt for the rest of the season, he could fit right into manager Russell Martin’s side. Only four teams in the Championship have managed to score more goals than the Swans to date this season, though Martin’s side could still add to their attacking department.
Netherlands striker Joel Piroe has been in excellent form for Swansea since the return from the World Cup break, so Gelhardt would still need to fight for his place and justify his selection with his goalscoring abilities.
Leeds fans will be in two minds on this one if we do see Gelhardt head out on loan. The reality is that he needs more first-team football, and if we bring in a €3o million striker, its not going to help Gelhardt’s chances of getting minutes in the Premier League this season. Additionally, a move like this would give the 20 year old the chance to get into goalscoring form.
At the same time, fans won’t want to see any departures – temporary or otherwise – before new recruits are brought in.
The thought among Leeds fans is that Joe Gelhardt has a very bright future at the club. We’ve seen glimpses of his tenacity and the high-level of skill he possesses, and if a move like this brings the striker closer to the starting lineup at Elland Road, then it may be good for all parties.