It’s a repeat of the recent pursuit of Fabio Silva, with Rangers also in the mix.
When it became evident at the end of last month that Wolves forward Fabio Silva was available on loan, Scottish Premiership rivals Celtic and Rangers competed for his services. While the Hoops are now top of the table, the Gers won this specific battle, signing Silva on loan until the end of the season.
However, interest at Parkhead appears to have shifted to another young striker, 21-year-old Leeds star Joe Gelhardt. Gelhardt joined Leeds from Wigan in 2020 after spending the second half of the previous season on loan with Sunderland in the Championship.
He has only made six second-tier appearances for the demoted Whites this season, two of which came from the start. He has only appeared in one league game for Daniel Farke’s side since mid-September, owing in part to injury.
He has only made six second-tier appearances for the demoted Whites this season, two of which came from the start. Since mid-September, he has only made one league appearance for Daniel Farke’s team, owing in part to injury.
Celtic and Rangers fight for Gelhardt
According to Simon Jones of The Daily Mail, Celtic and Rangers are “interested” in Gelhardt, perhaps resuming their Silva rivalry. The story does not specify if the two clubs are looking for a loan or a permanent move, but it is worth noting that Gelhardt is under contract at Elland Road until the summer of 2027.
Leeds have previously told Gelhardt that he’ll be staying put, with Farke unwilling to sanction even a temporary exit, but it remains to be seen whether that stance changes. Logic dictates that a young player struggling for minutes would benefit from regular first-team action elsewhere.
Gelhardt can strike fear into SPL defences
Noel Whelan, a former Leeds player, thinks Gelhardt has “something special” and “scares defenders,” something he has demonstrated from his early days. Prior to moving up to professional football, the Englishman scored 18 goals in 27 Premier League 2 outings.
While he hasn’t been as dynamic in the men’s game as expected, his numbers are still respectable. Last season, for example, he contributed six direct goals in 18 league games for Sunderland, an average of one per 202 minutes despite playing through injury, according to director Kristjaan Speakman.
In 2021/22, his final full season in the Premier League, he scored twice and set up four more, for an even higher average of one goal or assist per 122 minutes. This implies that he is a player capable of producing major moments throughout the season, even when playing as a reserve.
At first, he’d be best suited to serve as an understudy for Kyogo Furuhashi, Brendan Rodgers’ joint-top scorer with 10 goals, but if he impresses in a loan spell, Celtic could consider signing him permanently and extracting the full potential of a player who has previously been called up to England’s under-21 squad.
However, they should not get ahead of themselves. The first job is to convince Leeds to make him available, and the second is to persuade him to pick green and white over blue.
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