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One winner and one loser at Leeds United if somewhat surprising January transfer decision materialises

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There could be a chance that Leeds United consider loaning out striker Joe Gelhardt as he continues to struggle for playing time.

That’s the view of Adam Pope, who commented on the 20-year-old’s bizarre omission from the matchday squad during the draw at home to Aston Villa last time out.

He suggests that perhaps a loan could be on the cards for Gelhardt, if game time remains limited for him. Pope had this to say on the Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet Podcast:

“Well where does it leave Gelhardt at the moment? Because he’s either bench or obviously started at Brentford and it didn’t turn out great for him that day.

“But whilst others are scoring loads in the [under]-21s, like your [Mateo] Josephs, your [Sonny] Perkins, Gnonto’s the name at the moment. Where’s it leaving him?

“If it continues like this does that lead towards him maybe going out on loan in January? You don’t want to lose him at any point do you?”

Gelhardt’s mooted loan exit would have a significant impact on the squad, and here, we take a look at one winner and one loser at Leeds if this move materialises…

Winner: Sonny Perkins

Seeing Gelhardt go out on loan would free up space for someone to take his place on the bench in the first team.

That person would very likely be Sonny Perkins, who is scoring quite literally every time he plays at the moment for both the under-21s and at England youth level.

He’s another player that Leeds have brought into the youth setup, but is very quickly proving that his skillset is well beyond his current opposition.

There’s a long way to go before we can safely say he ought to be in the first-team full-time, but there’s only so many times he can dismantle PL2 defences before he’s worth a chance in the senior side.

Should Marsch have changed his opinion on Gelhardt?

Yes

Yes

No

No

Loser: Jesse Marsch

Loaning Gelhardt out in January would not go down well with the fanbase.

That’s because Gelhardt deserves to be playing in the first-team, so to see him not even in the squad at the weekend was so confusing.

Not only this, but Leeds very noticeably have little depth in the striker department, so letting someone go in the winter would leave Jesse Marsch even shorter than he already is up front.

As much as it would be fair to say Gelhardt’s qualities don’t suit how we want to play with a lone striker, having him as an option is a great boost to our depth.

His ability to change the complexion of a game off the bench is something that Marsch shouldn’t take for granted.

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Jack Butland.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.