West Brom may hope Leeds United beat Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton to promotion for one reason: View | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion will hope this upcoming summer transfer window is much better than the 2023 one.

The Baggies went into that summer with a lot of financial uncertainty and ongoing takeover talk, so it meant manager Carlos Corberan was restricted in what he could do in the market.

The club has only been able to bring in players either on free transfers or loan deals, but Corberan hasn’t let this affect his side as they continue to push for promotion.

West Brom are firmly in the play-off race and look on course to be in them come the end of the campaign. But the club may also have one eye on the automatic promotion race, as Leeds United winning promotion to the Premier League could potentially help the Midlands side when it comes to forward Joe Gelhardt.

West Brom were linked with Joe Gelhardt in January

As mentioned, this season has seen West Brom struggle in the transfer market, but that didn’t stop them from making additions.

January was a chance for the club to further strengthen their play-off bid, and it seemed the Baggies were interested in a possible deal for Joe Gelhardt.

Gelhardt has been with Leeds United since 2020 after being signed from Wigan Athletic, but it hasn’t been a move that has flourished for the player.

The striker has had to be really patient, and with him finding minutes hard to come by this season, January saw talk of a possible temporary exit.

Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers were heavily linked with the forward in January, but they were also joined by West Brom, who were also credited with an interest in the Leeds man.

Unfortunately, for the player and the club, a move didn’t occur, but with the summer fast approaching, the Baggies may want Leeds success to strengthen their potential bid to sign Gelhardt.

West Brom will hope Leeds United seal promotion to strengthen Joe Gelhardt chances

West Brom and Carlos Corberan will have full focus on the remaining Championship games to first cement their place in the play-offs and then prepare for them should they get there.

So, transfer plans for the summer may not be ironed out just yet, but if Joe Gelhardt is still of interest to the club, then Leeds United winning promotion to the Premier League may be something the Baggies hope for.

Now, if this is the case, West Brom will hope that Leeds do it via the automatic places, as they will obviously want to succeed via the play-offs should they get there.

There is no guarantee that the Midlands side is going to revisit their interest in Gelhardt, but if they do, Leeds being back in the top flight will strengthen their cause.

The 21-year-old has struggled for regular minutes this season in the second tier, with him appearing just eight times so far, two of which have come as starts.

The forward is averaging just 23 minutes on the pitch, so it may not come as much of a surprise to see that he has failed to score in the league so far and has done very little in front of goal.

Gelhardt has averaged 0.4 shots per game, but 0.1 are on target, and he has had only 10.5 touches of the ball and has created no big chances for the club, as per Sofascore.com.

The young striker’s only success this season has been in the EFL Cup, as he started both games and managed to grab a single goal.

So, with him struggling in the Championship for game time, that will likely not improve if Leeds are promoted this season.

Daniel Farke will want to strengthen his side, and bringing in a new forward may be a priority once again, meaning Gelhardt will be pushed further down the pecking order.

While they won't shout it out loud, West Brom and Corberan may be wanting Leeds to be successful between now and the end of the season, beating Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton to promotion, so they can have a clear run at signing Gelhardt in the summer.