QPR should pounce on Leeds United situation to land January transfer coup | OneFootball

Joe Gelhardt would be an ideal signing for the Hoops to help them stave off relegation amid his lack of game-time at Elland Road

Queens Park Rangers are in dire need of additions to their forward line in the January transfer window, and new revelations around the future of Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt should mean they are at the front of the queue for his signature at the start of 2025.

The Hoops have endured a dismal start to the Championship season, and currently sit bottom of the second tier with just one win from their first 15 games amid uncertainty surrounding Marti Cifuentes' future as head-coach.

Cifuentes' side may be occupying 24th spot, but they have hardly been the whipping boys of the Championship as yet, and have drawn as many games as they have lost with just fine margins in both boxes owing to their poor start.

It is clear, given that Michael Frey is their only centre-forward to have netted more than once in the league so far, they are in need of an explosive striker who can add a new dimension to their attack, and Whites' frontman Gelhardt should be an obvious target after fresh claims around his possible Elland Road exit in January.

An exclusive report from MOT Leeds News has revealed that the 22-year-old hopes to seal a temporary move away from Leeds during the winter window, after a real lack of game-time to date this term.

QPR therefore need to be in the market for Gelhardt, as he has a point to prove to many that he can be a regular at the level, and has the potential to be a key man in a relegation battle come the business end of the season.

Joe Gelhardt has struggled for opportunities under Daniel Farke at Leeds United

Despite his young age, Gelhardt was already an established senior player at Wigan Athletic prior to his move to Elland Road, after he had made 21 appearances for the Latics across two seasons and netted his first Championship goal as a 17-year-old against Hull City in September 2019.

He was prolific in the under-21's side upon arrival at Leeds, and made his Premier League debut for the club in October 2021, then soon bagged his first Whites goal in a December defeat at Chelsea, and netted a noteworthy second a few months later as he tapped home a dramatic added-time winner at Elland Road against Norwich City.

Gelhardt started just one league game in the first six months of the 2022/23 campaign, so he went out on loan to Sunderland and impressed at the Stadium of Light with three goals and three assists in 18 games, but could not quite take the Black Cats to the play-off final as they lost in the semi-finals to Luton Town.

The youngster returned to Elland Road in the summer with Leeds back in the second-tier and Farke at the helm, and many would have expected him to be an important figure last season as the club aimed for an immediate bounce back to the top-flight, but he made just 13 appearances and was given two league starts, as Joel Piroe, Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph were largely preferred by the German.

It was a shock to many to see him stay at the club past this summer, and his chances so far this term have been at a real premium, with just two substitute appearances in the Championship, and a start in the 3-0 loss to Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup.

He has not even been included in Farke's matchday squad in five of the last six Championship games amid strong competition in the attacking unit, and so it is no surprise that the 22-year-old is hoping to seal a loan exit in the new year.

There will undoubtedly be numerous second-tier clubs set to be interested in his signature, and struggling QPR must be involved in that chase as they look to transform their fortunes and live to fight another day in the second-tier.

QPR need a dynamic forward like Joe Gelhardt in January

Cifuentes only has three out-and-out strikers on his books as it stands, and it was definitely an oversight not to add more firepower to his attacking ranks in the summer, given his side's poor record in front of goal up to now.

The R's are the lowest scorers in the Championship so far, and bullish centre-forward Michael Frey, with three, and young frontman Alfie Lloyd, with one, have each bagged from the number nine position in the league this season, with summer signing Zan Celar failing to score in 15 second-tier appearances to date.

Gelhardt would provide a different option to anything that QPR possess up front right now, as he is quick, likes to press off the ball, and can stretch defences with runs in behind.

That sort of play-style would definitely suit the way Cifuentes wants to set his side up with the likes of Ilias Chair, Karamoko Dembélé and Koki Saito in attack, and simply give the Hoops a different dimension to their current lacklustre attacking force.

It remains to be seen where Gelhardt will end up in the January window, but it certainly looks as if he will be on his way out of Elland Road, and QPR must look to bring him to Loftus Road in the hope that he can help keep them up.