Leeds United

Leeds United: McGilligan claims club must replace Gelhardt should he be loaned out

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Image for Leeds United: McGilligan claims club must replace Gelhardt should he be loaned out

Journalist Conor McGilligan has stated on the One Leeds Fan Channel on YouTube that Leeds United must get a replacement should Joe Gelhardt leave the club, permanently or on loan.

The striker joined Leeds back in 2020 from Wigan Athletic. This season marks Gelhardt’s second season playing in the Premier League for the Whites, but it appears that they could be looking to move him on.

Leeds All Over have stated that there’s interest from the Championship, for the forward’s services, but it appears that a loan move would be more likely.

McGilligan believes not bringing in a replacement for Gelhardt would make no sense.

He said: (0:40) “Looks like there’s loads of Championship clubs apparently just gearing up for Joe Gelhardt in the January window. Would I be completely against that? Probably not at the minute.”

“You’ve got to read between the lines here and think to yourself, is he going to be a regular for Leeds United and is he going to be able to stay fit and be dependable and reliable for Leeds United? And I’m not 100% sure.

“So listen, if Gelhardt is to go, Leeds, 100% need to bring a body in, especially if it’s just on loan.

“If he’s not leaving on a permanent for good money, then you know, Leeds are almost losing out anyway if we’re just letting him go out on loan and not bringing anyone in it makes absolutely no sense to me.”

TIF’s view on McGilligan’s comments…

We believe that whether it be a loan move or a sale, Leeds need to move on Gelhardt in January, for the sake of both parties.

The 20-year-old only has two goals to his name in the Premier League and five assists, which is not an amazing return but it is apparent game time is becoming hard to come by. So some experience at a slightly lower level could do him a world of good.

Leeds are currently 15th in the league and two points above the drop. Furthermore, they need more players who are clinical in front of goal. Rodrigo has nine goals to his name this season, but their next top scorer, Crysenscio Summerville has only four goals.

There’s still a long way to go in the season, but January could be crucial for Leeds. Not just buying players, but letting players go out on loan or permanently. This will open up their wage bill and spaces in the squad, so they can get that clinical goal scorer.

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