Joe Gelhardt has had enough at Leeds United as Elland Road exit now looms

Joe Gelhardt must leave Leeds United as soon as possible in order to kickstart his career, says former midfielder David Norris.

Gelhardt has played just eight minutes of Championship football this season, with his single start coming in a crushing Carabao Cup defeat to Middlesbrough in August.

The 22-year-old has been a regular on the bench at Elland Road, ranking behind Mateo Joseph, Joel Piroe, and Patrick Bamford in an already small squad.

Norris, speaking exclusively to MOT Leeds News, stated: “I believe it is the correct time for Gelhardt to move on as soon as possible.

“It’s been a few years of uneven football for him, and you get the impression that he’s had enough and isn’t interested anymore.

“I feel for him as he did well in parts in the Premier League, but now he’s at the age when you want to be playing consistently, and he’s not going to get enough game time at Leeds.”

Joe Gelhardt should quit Leeds United during game time.

Daniel Farke sees having players with any level of senior experience in his roster as an advantage right now, considering the bare bones he has due to injuries.

But, based on how he sets up his attack, he is actually well-stocked in the area Gelhardt is seeking to break into, which seemed unlikely given the preference for Joseph and, more recently, Piroe.

The sad reality for the former Wigan Athletic prospect is that he has spent his whole Leeds career on the outside looking in, which was OK when he was young and enjoying weekly Premier League matchdays, but he now needs to play.

A statistic demonstrates this: in the 2022–23 season, when he joined Sunderland on loan in January, Gelhardt made more starts (18) than in any whole season with the Whites.

He has demonstrated his ability to deliver or at least contribute in the Championship for a promotion-chasing team, and while Leeds will be extremely hesitant to make any winter departures, Gelhardt – under contract until 2027 – should be pounding on Farke’s door for a loan escape at minimum.

In other Leeds news, Ally McCoist has a laugh at Illan Meslier’s expense.

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