Leeds United still “think a lot” of striker Joe Gelhardt, despite the signing of the Italy forward Wilfried Gnonto on deadline day.
That is according to Sky Sports reporter Tim Thornton, who was speaking to GIVEMESPORT about the latest news from Elland Road, following the closure of the summer transfer window.
Leeds welcomed £3.8m signing Gnonto to Yorkshire on the final day of the transfer window last week, with the club looking for more backup forward options to Patrick Bamford this season.
On the face of it, the signing of the four-time Italy international looks to be an impressive piece of business, though it could also suggest that 20-year-old Gelhardt’s game-time could now be limited.
However, Thornton believes that the Wigan Athletic academy product is still highly rated at Elland Road and that the starlet’s future was indeed a consideration when planning the club’s summer transfer business.
“One of the big factors was Joe Gelhardt,” Thornton told GIVEMESPORT.
“They think a lot of him and bringing someone in could have knocked him further down the pecking order and I think they want to see him given opportunities to show what he’s all about.
“They think that he is a player that can perform in the Premier League.”
TIF Thoughts on Thornton’s comments
We believe that Leeds fans will be delighted to hear that Gelhardt, who has been described as “brilliant” by Adrian Durham (via MOTLeeds), is likely to have a future at Elland Road, with the raw talent impressing under both Marco Bielsa and current manager Jesse Marsch.
Last season was somewhat of a breakthrough campaign for the youngster, with the Liverpool-born striker scoring two goals and providing four assists in 20 appearances for the Whites according to Transfermarkt, suggesting that his experiences in the first-team will only make him grow as a footballer.
Therefore, we think that it can only be a positive for Leeds to have such an array of young talent in the attacking positions of the squad, something which could potentially save the club a lot of money in the future.