Leeds United’s pay cost is one of the biggest in the Championship.
Only Leicester City and Southampton had higher last season, and Leeds looks expected to be among the relegated clubs again this season in terms of player salaries.
Despite the wage cuts that came with relegation, Leeds still has a few players on their books from their Premier League days.
Illan Meslier, Pascal Struijk, Junior Firpo, Brenden Aaronson, Max Wober, Wilfried Gnonto, Patrick Bamford, Joe Gelhardt, and Dan James (loaned out) all appeared for the first team during the relegation season.
Given that this is Leeds’ second season without Premier League football, the club has done well to retain a couple of the players on that list.
Why was Joe Gelhardt unable to leave Leeds this summer?
While many may consider Aaronson, Firpo, and Gnonto’s continued presence at Elland Road as a coup, there are several on that list who may have deserved to leave.
Bamford appears to be one of those, but his form and health in recent years suggest that interest will have been modest in the summer.
For many reasons, the ‘gifted’ Gelhardt is sadly another. The 22-year-old has not started a league game for Leeds in 13 months, and his playing time situation does not appear to be improving anytime soon.
From the outside looking in, it would have made a lot of sense for Gelhardt to be loaned out by Leeds this season, but transfer analyst Graeme Bailey has exclusively told LeedsUnited.News that his present salaries are what kept him from leaving.
He answered, “I believe so, but he [Gelhardt] is on a tremendous salary at Leeds. That is why he is still at Leeds: he is being paid way too much. He received Premier League salary.
“He might play apart, but I don’t see it happening much between now and January. Not that you wish someone ill, but you’d hope he’s not needed between now and January.
Carlton Palmer thinks Gelhardt’s agent will look for a January Leeds exit.
Given the number of players ahead of him in his position, many would argue that Gelhardt does not even make Leeds’ best squad.
With this in mind, Leeds should have worked far more to facilitate Gelhardt’s relocation. Carlton Palmer believes Gelhardt’s agent will already be looking at potential January exits.
He said: “Joe Gelhardt is currently in an unenviable position. He’s 22 and gets minimal playing time at Leeds United. I’m shocked he hasn’t left Leeds this summer.
“Last season, Ipswich Town expressed interest in him. He spent the previous season on loan at Championship Sunderland, where he appeared in 18 games and scored three goals.
“I’m amazed he and his advisors haven’t planned a move. He has to play football, but he’s not getting any game time, and the years are ticking away.
“I’m sure his advisors now will be looking at it saying, listen, right, if he’s not getting game time, I think by the time we get to the Championship transfer window, they’ll look to get him out, whether it’s on loan or on a permanent deal.”
