Leeds United must sell player who has the same market value as Patrick Bamford: View | OneFootball

The Whites should be looking to offload Joe Gelhardt in January, for the sake of all parties.

Leeds United look strong at this point despite the summer sales of some key players, including Crysencio Summerville.

Summerville was one of the Whites' most important attacking players last term and it was a real blow for the club when they lost him.

Perhaps a bigger blow was the sale of Georginio Rutter, considering the West Yorkshire side were desperate to prevent him from making the move to Brighton and Hove Albion.

The sales of key players helped them to raise plenty of money though - and that was majorly important for two key reasons.

Firstly, it allowed them to balance the books and in their quest to avoid breaching financial rules, they need to ensure that they're staying within the limits.

And secondly, some of the money raised allowed them to bring in some replacements, with plenty of top-quality additions coming through the door at Elland Road.

Joe Rothwell and Manor Solomon are two loan additions who could play a big role in guiding the club back to the Premier League, especially the latter who has shone at the top level before and is clearly a player who has a lot of ability.

Joe Rodon, Alex Cairns, Jayden Bogle and Issac Schmidt, meanwhile, have come in permanently and could all help to improve Leeds' defensive record, with Bogle also able to contribute going forward.

Further up the pitch, Ao Tanaka adds much-needed depth in central midfield, and Largie Ramazani could end up being a good replacement for Summerville out wide.

The vast majority of the Whites' first team, whether they signed in the summer or not, clearly have a role to play. But Joe Gelhardt looks to be surplus to requirements.

Joe Gelhardt's time at Leeds United

Gelhardt was a shrewd signing from Wigan Athletic - and he previously shone in the Whites' academy.

He did make numerous appearances for the first team by the time he joined Sunderland on loan in January 2023, but he didn't score regularly for the first team and only had two goals in the English top tier to his name.

The forward endured a mixed loan spell with the Black Cats, although you have to sympathise with the fact he was filling in for both Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms, which was a big task and there was a lot of pressure on him.

There were also questions regarding whether he was a good fit for Tony Mowbray's system, but he did a respectable job and helped the Wearside club to finish in the top six.

Unfortunately, he hasn't really been able to kick on at Leeds since that loan move, making just two competitive appearances this season at the time of writing.

He started in the EFL Cup loss against Middlesbrough but didn't play 90 minutes - and he came on for a very brief period of time against Sheffield Wednesday.

Leeds United should look to offload Joe Gelhardt in January

With the player failing to establish himself as an important first-teamer at Elland Road, the Whites should be looking to sell him.

He's likely to be behind a number of strikers for the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign if their options can stay fit, with Patrick Bamford (who has the same market value as Gelhardt at €4m) able to be a real asset if he can recover and stay fit for a decent chunk of the season. His experience could be valuable.

Someone who has less experience is Mateo Joseph, but he has been able to adapt to first-team football well and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him establish himself as a real star this term, having already recorded one goal and three assists in six league appearances this season.

With Joseph overtaking him in the pecking order and established striker Joel Piroe also available as a starting option, the chances of Gelhardt being heavily involved anytime soon are slim.

A potential injury crisis could give him the chance to shine, but for the sake of his own career, he can't rely on that and must push for an exit instead.

Leeds should also be looking to sell him, because he won't win much game time in the coming months and with his contract not expiring until 2027, Leeds still have the chance to make a decent amount of money from his sale.