Leeds United’s position on the recall of Joe Gerhart from Hull City in January has been revealed.
Gerhard joins Hull on loan from Leeds
The Whites have struggled in front of goal in the Premier League this season, with only bottom-placed Wolves scoring fewer goals than Daniel Farke’s side.
It can be said that the 49ers Enterprise failed to strengthen the final third as they should, with free transfers Lucas Nmeka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, as well as Noah Okafor joining Leeds as their only attacker.
They decided to loan Gerhardt back to Hull, but the 23-year-old is in good form with second-tier Tigers.
Gerhard has already scored seven goals and provided two assists in 15 games in the Championship and has been praised by coach Sergei Yakirović.
“When I saw him in a game last season, I begged the president (Akun Ilikari) to bring him back here.
“He loves playing here and wanted to come back here. He has a completely different profile to our players. He has the quality to play in many positions, passes, shoots and has speed as well. That’s special.”
“He’s 23 years old and maybe he can reach the Premier League. But now he’s making a difference.”
Gerhard’s form has led to speculation that he could be called up in the new year as Leeds aim to remain in the Premier League.
As a teenager, the forward helped the Whites stay top of the table in 2021/22, scoring the memorable winning goal against Norwich City and setting up Pascal Strujk’s late equalizer in the penultimate league game against Brighton.
Hal wants Harry Gray
However, according to TEAMtalk, “Leeds have no plans to bring Gerhard back to Elland Road in the new year.”
The Whites are happy for the forward to remain at Hull until the end of the season and if Gerhardt is in good form, the 49ers could sell him for £4m, a return of 300% after his move from Wigan in 2020.
As well as retaining Gerhard, Hull is also eyeing a potential loan move for Harry Gray after the Leeds teenager penned his first professional contract with Yorkshire.
Gray, 17, has yet to feature under Farke in the 25/26 season after being handed his debut on the same day Leeds won promotion to the Premier League. He has also attracted interest from Charlton Athletic, Derby County and Swansea City.
Leeds are considering allowing Gray to leave for the second half of the season to allow him to play regular senior games, but as for Gerhardt, don’t expect to see him in a Leeds shirt in the new year.
