It’s been a chase that has been largely hidden behind a veil of silence but now things are starting to get louder between Leeds United and Wigan regarding the Whites pursuit of youngster Joe Gelhardt.
Newly-promoted @LUFC are in advanced negotiations with Wigan over a £1m deal for striker Joe Gelhardt. #WAFC pic.twitter.com/ZprC4VZEqn
— BBC Sport Manchester (@BBCRMsport) July 31, 2020
The Liverpool-born youngster has been on the Latics books since he was a youngster but the need to even things out financially might mean that a decision to sell comes above his obvious potential. It’s been a speedy rise up through the ranks for the 17-year-old who only progressed from the youth set-up at the DW Stadium to the Under-18s at the start of last season.
Ahead of this season, it was a further promotion from the Under-18s to the first-team squad and it is a move that has seen the teenager develop much further. Since the leap forward to the first-team set-up, Gelhardt made 18 appearances in this season’s Sky Bet Championship campaign, scoring 1 goal.
Gelhardt is a player with a big future in front of him, but Wigan’s predicament means that a sale is inevitable. He’s been a key member of the first-team squad, a squad that he has been in-and-around all season. He first came off the bench for his debut in a 27-minute substitute appearance against Barnsley on deadline day, August 31.
His debut senior goal for Wigan came the very next game with an 18-minute substitute appearance against Hull City seeing the youngster score in a 2-2 draw away at the KCOM.
Many reports had linked him to Leeds United, indeed he’d recently visited Elland Road with his representatives. However, it now seems that things have moved forward somewhat and that deep talks are taking place to bring this particular pursuit to an end.
