Leeds United still have one of the highest wage bills in the Championship.
Only Leicester City and Southampton had higher last season and it is likely Leeds will be alongside the relegated clubs again when it comes what they are paying players th
Despite the wage reductions that came with relegation, Leeds still have a number of players on their books from when they were a Premier League club.
Illan Meslier, Pascal Struijk, Junior Firpo, Brenden Aaronson, Max Wober, Wilfried Gnonto, Patrick Bamford, Joe Gelhardt and Dan James (loaned out) were all part the first team during the relegation season.
Considering this is now the second year Leeds are without Premier League football, they have done well to keep a few of the players on that list.
Why Joe Gelhardt was unable to leave Leeds this summer
And while many will see it is a coup that the likes of Aaronson, Firpo and Gnonto are still at Elland Road, there are some on that list who perhaps should’ve moved on.
Bamford feels like one of those, but his form and fitness over the last couple of years means interest will have almost certainly been low in the summer.
For different reasons, the ‘talented‘ Gelhardt is unfortunately another. The 22-year-old has not started a league game in 13 months for Leeds and it does not look like his game time situation will improve anytime soon.
From the outside looking in, it would’ve made a lot of sense for Gelhardt to have at least been loaned out by Leeds for this season, but transfer expert Graeme Bailey has exclusively told LeedsUnited.News that his current wages are what stopped him from going.
He said: “I think so, but he [Gelhardt] is on huge money at Leeds. That is the reason he is still at Leeds, he’s being paid far too much money. He got Premier League wages.
“He might play apart but I don’t envisage it that much between now and January. Not that you wish ill on anyone, but you’d hope he isn’t needed between now and January.”
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Carlton Palmer says Gelhardt’s agent will be searching for January Leeds exit
With the amount of players ahead of him in his position, many would argue that Gelhardt does not even get in Leeds’ best squad.
With that in mind, Leeds should’ve worked a lot harder to try and accommodate a move for Gelhardt. Carlton Palmer believes Gelhardt’s agent will already be searching for potential January exit routes.
He said: “Joe Gelhardt finds himself in an unenviable position at the moment. He’s 22, and he’s getting very little game time at Leeds United. I’m surprised he didn’t leave Leeds this summer.
“There were previously last season, the likes of Ipswich Town, who were interested in him. The season before, he went on loan to Championship Sunderland, where he played 18 games and only scored three goals.
“I am surprised that him and his advisors haven’t sorted a move. He needs to play football, and he’s just not getting any game time and the years are ticking on.
“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.”
