The current transfer window has been open for two weeks already, but it’s not till today that we’ve heard first pieces of news affecting Leeds United. Joe Gelhardt and Charlie Crew are going on loan to Hull City and Doncaster Rovers respectively, for the rest of the season.
A few eyebrows were raised on Saturday when Gelhardt wasn’t one of the fringe players who were named in the line-up to face Harrogate in the FA Cup, but it turned out that the reason for his absence was that he was completing a medical to pave the way for his loan move to Hull.
He seemed destined for great things as a teenager when he made several vital contributions towards the end of our relegation-avoiding season on 2021/2, but his career has rather stagnated since. He has made just three league starts for Leeds since August 2022, and at the age of 22, he must be thinking that if he was going to break through as a regular first-teamer for Leeds, it would have happened by now.
He has already had one loan spell, at Sunderland in the second half of the 2022/23 season, where he made 20 appearances but scored only three goals. He might have been ideal for the Black Cats’ strategy of signing the best young talent wherever they can find it, but their intention was to use him as a second striker, and injuries to other players meant he had to play as the lone centre forward.
And that was never going to be his forte, as he lacks the height and physicality to be the main target man. Thein lies the problem with his career, as the smaller Robbie Keane type of striker is going out of fashion in football, with many managers preferring to have a sole big man up front, so they can play another midfielder.
So whenever Joffy has had a rare game under Daniel Farke it has often been in a position that doesn’t suit him, in midfield or on the right. So even though our striker department is looking a little threadbare, with Piroe having a slight muscle strain to add to Bamford’s permanent injury woes, it looks like he needs to move elsewhere to kick-start his career.
18 year-old Charlie Crew is also going on loan, having only made one first team appearance for Leeds, despite having already made his international debut for Wales. His debut at Elland Road came as an 86th minute substitute against Plymouth, but he still had time to come close to scoring, with a dipping shot which Grimshaw was just able to tip over the bar.
Leeds have plenty of options in midfield now that Ampadu and Gruev are back from injury, so young Charlie is unlikely to get a significant amount of game time any time soon, so this move might be the best thing for him at this stage of his career. But unlike Joffy he has time on his side, and may well be forcing himself into regular first team contention in the years to come.
There is no news of any incoming players yet, even though there is no shortage of suggestions on social media of positions we ought to strengthen right away. Goalkeeper, both full backs, a ‘number 10’ and striker have all been mentioned. But the indications are that it will be a ‘quiet window’ in terms of acquiring new talent, but if anything changes we’ll be sure to let you know.