"It is such a shame" - Player tipped to leave Leeds United in January | OneFootball

FLW's Leeds United fan pundit has given his view on striker Joe Gelhardt's future at the club.

This article is part of Football League World’s 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt is facing an uncertain future at the club ahead of the January transfer window.

Gelhardt joined Leeds from Wigan Athletic for a reported fee of £1 million in the summer of 2020 following their promotion to the Premier League, and he showed plenty of early promise in the top flight under Marcelo Bielsa.

However, Gelhardt fell out of favour after Bielsa's exit, and he spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Sunderland, where he scored three goals and provided three assists in 20 games to help the Black Cats reach the Championship play-offs.

Gelhardt's game time has remained limited at Elland Road following his return from the Stadium of Light, and after making just 13 appearances last season, he has only featured three times so far this campaign.

The 22-year-old has even been left out of the matchday squad for three of the Whites' 12 league games so far this season, with Joel Piroe, Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford preferred ahead of him, so a move could be on the cards in January.

When asked if he believes Gelhardt will depart Elland Road in January, FLW's Leeds United fan pundit Kris Smith admitted that he cannot see the striker having a future at the club.

"It is such a shame to see how Joe Gelhardt has gone from a breakthrough under Marcelo Bielsa where he looked like the second coming of Wayne Rooney to now under Daniel Farke, barely playing at all, even off the bench," Kris said.

"I do think there are a few reasons for that, one of them is the changes in managers since he came into the team in 2022, which has not helped him gain any momentum or regular playing time.

"Under Farke right now, he doesn't fit into a 4-2-3-1 set up.

"He's not a lone striker or a number nine, so he can't play with his back to goal, and he's not a number 10 who can demonstrate the creative sides of his game.

"The only other position I think he could feasibly play is as a right-winger, but he doesn't have the pace to do that.

"Even if he is the closest to that in terms of a role, I just don't see how that's going to be his long-term position for Leeds, it's never going to work out for him here unfortunately.

"With Largie Ramazani out for another month and Manor Solomon looking perennially unfit, I wouldn't be too hasty with letting Gelhardt go out on loan and making that decision right now.

"But by January I do think it's going to be inevitable with Ramazani's back, and potentially we might look at signing another attacking midfielder.

"There might be a handful of clubs in this league that might be able to make it work for Gelhardt, including Wayne Rooney himself at Plymouth.

"For me, it is just such a shame because there's clearly a really talented player there, but I just don't see how Leeds make it work."

Daniel Farke must make big Joe Gelhardt decision in January

It is difficult to disagree with Kris that Gelhardt does not have a future at Leeds, and his exit in January would be the right move for all parties.

Gelhardt is clearly a player with a lot of potential, but it seems that he is not part of Farke's plans, and with Piroe, Joseph and Bamford all ahead of him in the pecking order, it seems unlikely that he will receive much game time in the second half of the season if he remains at the club.

While Gelhardt has not been a prolific goalscorer during the early stages of his career, there should still be plenty of Championship interest if he is allowed to depart temporarily in January.

However, Gelhardt has been out on loan to Sunderland previously, and it did not help him to force his way into contention at Elland Road, so a permanent move could be the best option in order for the striker to reignite his career.