Joe Gelhardt, Hull City’s on-loan forward, has explained why he returned to the MKM Stadium for his second stay away from Leeds United.
The Tigers forward has spoken to the Daily Mail about his thought process, while his signature was pursued by some of City’s divisional rivals during a particularly intriguing summer transfer window for the East Yorkshire club, which was also their first under Bosnian head coach Sergej Jakirovic.
The Tigers have had a very great start to the Championship season, despite being expected to suffer after an off-season of increased turnover under the ownership of Turkish media billionaire Acun Ilicali.
Indeed, Jakirovic became Hull’s fourth permanent manager in less than two years in June, after leaving his position as manager of Turkish Süper Lig side Kayserispor to replace Ruben Selles. The Spaniard was handed his P45 just 11 days after he was able to keep the club’s second-tier status by virtue of goal difference ahead of Luton Town on the final day of last season with a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth.
Such anxieties were heightened when the club was faced with a transfer fee limit – first set for three windows but then reduced to two after an EFL hearing – as a result of delayed payments to other teams.
This meant that Jakirovic, sporting director Jared Dublin, and newly appointed head of recruitment Martin Hodge could only sign players on free transfers or loan deals with no additional fees, and it should be noted that the vast majority of the 12 signings made at the MKM Stadium have been successful thus far.
Gelhardt is clearly leading the way in that sense, having picked up right where he left off in HU3, and he has subsequently revealed what drew him back to the Tigers despite attention from Middlesbrough, whom he will face off against in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday evening.
Joe Gelhardt explains why he chose to return to Hull City amid transfer interest from Middlesbrough.
The 23-year-old former England youth international has always been a player who has drew a lot of attention due to the potential he possessed at such a young age, which was evident after a £1 million transfer to Leeds from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2020, following the Whites’ return to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa.
Despite making 57 appearances for the West Yorkshire club since then, only a handful of those have come under current manager Daniel Farke, with his last game for Leeds coming against Norwich City nearly 14 months ago.
A return of five goals in just 20 games was enough to secure Hull’s Championship status under Selles, and Gelhardt finished the season as the Tigers’ second-highest scorer behind Joao Pedro.
Unsurprisingly, fans at the MKM were eager to see the loanee back, albeit it was claimed that a promotion pay increase following Leeds’ Championship-winning season, along with Hull’s aforementioned market limits, could have been a sticking point.
With the Tigers still hopeful of reaching an agreement, it was reported that Middlesbrough were also interested in signing the Liverpudlian under Rob Edwards, but Hull would eventually secure his services for the entire season ahead of the opening day goalless draw at Coventry City.
Despite a change in head coach, Gelhardt has not looked back, scoring nine times and assisting twice in 18 games to rank as the division’s joint-second-highest scorer, with nine of those contributions coming after October 18th.
As a result, he has disclosed precisely why he made the decision.
“We’re all terrific buddies, which makes things easier on the pitch. “You want to go the extra distance for each other,” Gelhardt remarked.
“Even if the previous season was rough, here was the only place I wanted to go because I knew the team was capable of more. We now back ourselves against anyone in this league, and we have the talent to compete for the playoffs,” he continued.
Hull City hope to clinch a permanent Joe Gelhardt agreement amid fresh Leeds United pricing claims.
Given Gelhardt’s form, it’s no surprise that Hull are aiming to sign him on a permanent basis when the season ends and their transfer fee restriction is released.
It may take a large price to get him away from Elland Road, though. It was recently revealed that, in the summer, United were aiming to move the forward for £8 million, with his contract expiring in the summer of 2027.
It remains to be seen whether such a valuation will be in place with little over 18 months left on the attacker’s deal, but his current form will undoubtedly give the Whites’ hierarchy much to think about.
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