As of Friday, one potential January exit from Championship table-toppers Leeds United may have taken a step forward.
Daniel Farke opened up on Joe Gelhardt’s uncertain Elland Road future ahead of Leeds United’s FA Cup third round clash with Harrogate Town on Saturday.
There is certainly no shortage of interest in a man who, not so long ago, was rated as arguably the brightest young prospect at the West Yorkshire outfit.
Gelhardt’s development may have stalled since he burst onto the scene in the Premier League a couple of years back but, with Portsmouth, QPR, Cardiff, Derby Plymouth, Hull City and Scottish giants Rangers all mentioned, options are certainly there.
According to Hull Live, Ruben Selles’ Championship strugglers have entered talks over a potential loan deal.
But the chances of Joe Gelhardt making a switch north of the border suddenly appear to have increased substantially.
Especially after Rangers opened up preliminary talks over a deal which could see £4.5 million man Cyriel Dessers leave Ibrox, potentially for a return to Italy or a fresh start in France with relegation-threatened St Etienne.
Cyriel Dessers Rangers exit could open door for Leeds United’s Joe Gelhardt
According to Rangers Review, Dessers has taken one big step closer to bringing the curtain down on his time in Glasgow. A replacement will be required – Gers boss Philippe Clement has young Hamza Igamane and the injury-prone Danilo as his only other striker options – and bringing in 22-year-old Gelhardt on a temporary basis is the sort of low-cost, low-risk deal which makes sense from both a sporting and a financial perspective.
Gelhardt has only made the matchday squad once for Leeds since the end of October.
Farke confirmed that Patrick Bamford and Joel Piroe are unavailable for that Harrogate clash, though it remains to be seen if he is willing to risk Gelhardt while discussions over a transfer are ongoing.
“I have a pretty honest and open relationship with Joffy,” the former Norwich City boss said on Thursday during his pre-match press conference. “I have told him any times I rate him and of course that is tough for him, the problem is the competition. You can’t back four strikers in the same way.
“It’s tough for him, he works his socks off in training, he knows I trust him. His behaviour is unbelievable. For that I totally understand if he thinks if it makes sense to go and get game time at a different club.”
Daniel Farke says Gelhardt free to leave Elland Road this month
Farke also confirmed that Gelhardt has been given permission to talk to potential suitors, though he stopped short of confirming who those suitors are. At Rangers, opportunities would hardly be guaranteed with Igamane now firmly established as the Glasgow giants’ go-to centre-forward.
“I’ve allowed him to have conversations,” Farke adds. “And when he feels it is best for him, he will knock at my door. But that’s not happened yet.
“Let’s see what happens over next few days.”
In terms of incomings, Farke is expecting a pretty ‘quiet’ few weeks.
Leeds continue to be linked with Nico Elvedi and Andrew Omobamidele of Borussia Monchengladbach and Nottingham Forest respectively. Both players have worked with Farke before, and would add depth to a backline high on quality but relatively short in numbers.
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