Sunderland have completed the signing of 20 year old Leeds United Striker Joe Gelhardt. The former Latic has arrived on loan until the end of the season, here is all you need to know about him…
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
Gelhardt began his career at Wigan, coming through the Latics academy, and the Scouser made his senior debut against Rotherham in August 2018, where he came on as a substitute. He then went on to sign his first professional contract at the club 10 days later, and made his league debut against Birmingham City. On the 14th of September 2018, Joe Gelhardt scored his first senior goal, in a 2-2 draw against Hull City. It would be his only senior goal for the club in 20 appearances (although he was mostly limited to late substitute appearances).
His time at Wigan came to an end in the summer of 2020, when Wigan were hit with a 12 point deduction that saw the Tics controversially relegated to League One.
THE NEXT STEP
In August 2020, Joe Gelhardt signed a four-year contract at newly promoted Premier League side Leeds United. He played in the Leeds youth teams for over a year, until he eventually made his senior debut for the club in September 2021 in the EFL Cup. He scored the seventh of Leeds’ eight penalties in a shootout against Fulham, helping the Peacocks advance to the fourth round of the competition. He made his league debut against Southampton on the 11th of December that same year.
He scored his first goal for Leeds at Stamford Bridge, where Leeds suffered a 3-2 defeat to Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea. His most memorable moment in a Leeds shirt was against Norwich, where he scored a dramatic stoppage time winner. Leeds won the game 2-1 and went on to secure Premier League survival a few games later. He received plaudits for stepping up during Patrick Bamford's injuries and, even though he hasn't been a prolific goalscorer, always played a part in the team as a whole. Gelhardt has struggled for gametime this season though, partly due to Rodrigo’s fine form and the arrival of Luis Sinisterra. Quite surprising as many expected him to kick on and become a regular in this Leeds team.
WHAT’S NEXT
Now Gelhardt has signed for Sunderland, and hopefully he can make an impact during his six month stay. Last week it seemed that Wigan were the frontrunners to sign Joe, but we have pipped the Latics to the deal. The 20-year-old is raring to go and desperate for game time- and his presence gives us another option up top. A loan move to the Championship looks to be the right move for the left footed striker because it’s a great chance for him to play football, score goals, and improve as a player. If this loan move works well, it will increase his profile and give him a better chance of being one of Leeds’ main strikers. Sunderland may even look to extend Gelhardt’s stay if he impresses.
