Promotion was an absolute necessity for Leeds United. Financially, the club would have been in a bleak position had The Whites failed to gain promotion back to the riches of the Premier League.
Parachute payments would have dropped by more than half from 45% to 20%, more big players would have had to be sold and mid-table Championship obscurity would have been waiting, its clutches open.
But Leeds are back in the Premier League and while plenty more cash will come in, things will become more expensive. The squad of course, will earn promotion wage rises with the league title on the cards.
Players will become a whole lot more expensive to buy, but it will be much more affordable thanks to the television money Leeds will now receive. But promotion has left one Elland Road attacker in limbo.
What next for Joe Gelhardt? Summer exit made more difficult
Gelhardt is currently enjoying a second loan spell away from Leeds after a spell at Sunderland. Despite playing out wide and as a 10 for a struggling Hull side, he has still managed to score five goals in 19.
According to a Hull teammate, Gelhardt has been unhappy ever since Daniel Farke arrived at Leeds. His form at Hull is a sign that Gelhardt is returning to his best form – but he too, will receive a pay rise.
Gelhardt has publicly hinted he wants to leave Leeds this summer. Described as “fantastic” by pundit Tim Sherwood, Gelhardt is likely to want to return to Hull but his increasing wages now makes that harder.
The Sun’s Alan Nixon writes on his Patreon channel that in line with the rest of the Leeds squad, Gelhardt will earn a promotion pay rise and Hull will be requested to pay more wages if they want a new loan.
The solution for Gelhardt is a permanent exit in the summer
The striker still has two years remaining on his contract at Elland Road and it means that if The 49ers are to sell the forward, clubs will have to pay. But it is a player on Premier League wages, and it will be tricky.
Hull have shown they can spend and the pressure will be on Ruben Selles and the ownership to bring the Leeds ace back to the KCOM. But there is going to have to be some compromise to get a deal done.
One solution is that Hull buy Gelhardt permanently. Hull may find that Leeds’ request for Gelhardt is not particularly high given he is surplus to requirements and was only bought for £1m in the summer of 2020.
Signing him permanently would give Hull the power to negotiate a new wage with Gelhardt, and allow the club to offer him a contract more in line with their wage structure. He may have to be a top earner.
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