Phil Hay claims club disappointed with how £1m signing has turned out - Football Fancast 13/8/23

BY JACK SALVESON HOLMES

Can Joe Gelhardt really step up among the injury-stricken front line for Leeds United?

Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt has not managed to reach the levels that the club "hoped he would when they first signed him" due, in part, to the "way it's been" at the club, claims The Athletic's Phil Hay.

It has been a tough couple of years for the Peacocks. After managing to stave off relegation by the skin of their teeth in 2022, the club ultimately succumbed to the drop last season for a multitude of factors, including poor decision-making from the club's ownership.

The prospect of life in the second tier has prompted an exodus of sorts as several players who couldn't keep the club in the Premier League have left to find top-flight football elsewhere.

However, one of those who looks set to stay with the club is youngster Gelhardt, and following a string of injuries to the senior forwards, he has now found himself much closer to regular starts than perhaps he was even expecting.

Daniel Farke put him in his starting eleven for The Whites' EFL Cup game against Shrewsbury on Wednesday night, and despite a rocky first half, he repaid his gaffers' faith by scoring the side's equalising goal.

Speaking after the game, the German was very honest about the situation, saying:

"It's always important to count on the young products out of the academy. What I like a lot about him is he totally identifies with the club.

"Yesterday perhaps there are some errors in his game where he can improve, he knows this, and we're speaking quite honestly and working quite hard in training about it. He needs to step up in a few areas, but what I like is he puts a shift in.

According to The Athletic's Phil Hay, the feeling that the energetic forward needs to improve in certain areas - whilst still having genuine talent - is echoed by many at the club.

He explained the situation on The Square Ball podcast YouTube channel, saying:

"Another really talented player Gelhardt but someone who just, and I think as much as anything because of the way it's been at Leeds, just hasn't been able to follow what would have been the development plan for him.

"I don't think anybody at Leeds would pretend that where he is now is where they hoped he would be when they first signed him back in that summer after promotion."

How old is Joe Gelhardt?

Born May 4th, 2002, in Liverpool, the 21-year-old has struggled during his time in West Yorkshire, scoring just three goals and providing four assists in 42 appearances for the club - granted, most of those were off the bench, but it's still not good enough.

His underlying numbers from the last year of football - mostly from his time with Sunderland - are reasonably impressive, however, and suggest that at Championship level, he could be a valuable player for Farke.

According to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across what it defines as the next best eight competitions, he sits in the top 1% for blocks, the top 2% for tackles, the top 6% for pass completion, the top 8% for assists, the top 11% for progressive passes and the top 16% for shot-creating actions, all per 90.

It was towards the final games of the 2021/22 season that he was able to show glimpses of his quality to Premier League viewers, with then-boss Jesse Marsch describing him as "incredible" following a performance against Brighton & Hove Albion.

While he might've scored less than he would've liked for Sunderland last season, he still showed moments of brilliance along the way, with James Hunter of the Chronicle describing his performance against Huddersfield Town as 'excellent.'

Ultimately, Hay's observation that Gelhardt has failed to live up to the club's expectations of him so far certainly seems accurate. However, there is still a talented player in there, and given a chance, he could prove his worth in the Championship this year.

The Leeds striker struggled to make his presence known in front of goal at St Andrews.

Leeds United are still without a win in their Championship campaign after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City at St Andrew's on Saturday afternoon, something that will leave Daniel Farke feeling extremely frustrated.

The Whites are currently 19th in the league table after taking just one point from their first two games of the 46-game campaign and will need to start finding their feet soon if they are going to compete for a Premier League comeback at the end of the season.

How did Joe Gelhardt play against Birmingham City?

Joe Gelhardt has been given the opportunity to prove his worth to the new Leeds boss due to Patrick Bamford's injury blow during pre-season, even earning the nod over Georginio Rutter who started on the bench on Saturday.

However, Farke's faith put into Gelhardt was not repaid by the 21-year-old as he looked like a fish out of water in front of goal at St Andrew's, which ultimately contributed to Leeds' inability to take the game away from the Blues.

Over his 67 minute display, the young striker even had fewer touches of the ball than goalkeeper Illan Meslier (19 v 62), registered no shots on or off target throughout and only completed eight passes, before being hooked, unsurprisingly, by Farke and replaced by Rutter in the centre-forward role for the remainder of the clash.

Leeds supporters took to Twitter to share their frustration at Gelhardt's lack of tenacity in the final third when opportunities presented themselves, with The Athletic's Leeds reporter Phil Hay venting his disappointment too:

"A few long balls towards Gelhardt which are a waste of time. He's trying to make that point - keep it on the ground."

With that being said, Farke will need to evaluate his options whether that be trusting in Rutter to start or looking to the transfer market to find the solution to their problems in attack.

Either way, Leeds will need to find a quick solution to their massive headache as it could set them back in their chase for promotion.