Leeds United decided to bolster their options in the number nine position in the summer transfer window last year after they earned promotion to the Premier League.
Lukas Nmecha joined on a free transfer from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg as the first signing of the window, and he has enjoyed a fine first season at Elland Road.
The Germany international has scored six goals and provided one assist in nine starts in the Premier League for Daniel Farke to date, impressing as the second-choice striker in the squad.
lukas-nmecha-leeds-birmingham
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, meanwhile, has been the first-choice centre-forward for Leeds since he completed a move to the club on a free transfer from Everton last summer.
The England international has scored ten goals and assisted one goal in 23 starts in the division for the Whites, the only player in the squad to hit double figures for goals so far.
England's Dominic Calvert-Lewin after the match
Now, Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin's impressive performances for Leeds this season could have an impact on the future of Joe Gelhardt in West Yorkshire.
What should happen to Joe Gelhardt this summer
The club have a big decision to make on Gelhardt in the upcoming summer transfer window because he will only have 12 months left on his contract by the time his loan at Hull City comes to an end.
Joe-Gelhardt
He has ended up on the loan circuit because of his lack of game time at Leeds in recent seasons, having never started more than five league games in a single season.
Gelhardt started six times in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 Premier League seasons before starting twice in the 2023/24 Championship season, before going out on loan to Hull last term and for the current campaign.
The 23-year-old star has scored 13 goals from 10.54 xG in 29 starts for the Tigers in the second tier so far this term, impressing with regular game time.
He failed to make the grade in the Premier League last time out for Leeds, though, and he has delivered an impressive, rather than exceptional, goal return in the Championship.
With this in mind, Farke should sanction his sale when the summer transfer window ends, whether that is to Hull or another club, because he may not get in past Nmecha or Calvert-Lewin.
The Leeds flop who is becoming the next Joe Gelhardt
Gelhardt ended up going out on loan to Sunderland and Hull City because he failed to establish himself as a regular starter up front for the Whites and needed to go out and get game time.
joe-gelhardt-hull-leeds
Now, current Leeds forward Joel Piroe is quickly on his way to becoming the next Gelhardt at Elland Road with the way that his 2025/26 campaign has gone.
The Suriname international's career at the club looks totally finished with the way that he has struggled for form and game time in the Premier League, after impressing in the Championship.
Piroe-Brownhill-Championship-top-scorers 24-25 (timeless)
Piroe was the top goalscorer in the second tier last season, with 19 goals, but he has failed to make the step up to the top-flight, finding himself behind Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha in the pecking order.
The 26-year-old striker has only started two of his 13 appearances in the Premier League for the Whites, failing to register a single goal or assist for Farke's side.
|Leeds' last 10 Premier League matches|
|Opposition|Joel Piroe|
|---|
|Brentford|Unused substitute|
|Crystal Palace|Unused substitute|
|Sunderland|19 minutes played|
|Manchester City|10 minutes played|
|Aston Villa|Unused substitute|
|Chelsea|Unused substitute|
|Nottingham Forest|Unused substitute|
|Arsenal|10 minutes played|
|Everton|Unused substitute|
|Fulham|Unused substitute|
Piroe has been an unused substitute seven times in the last ten Premier League games, and has been an unused substitute on 19 occasions in the division this term.
Despite being the club's top goalscorer in the 2024/25 campaign, playing a key role in their title success in the Championship, the £10m signing from Swansea in 2024 is now a bit-part player who rarely gets onto the pitch.
Joel-Piroe
The fact that he has been an unused substitute more times than he has made an appearance in the Premier League this season suggests that Farke does not view him as a key player in the top-flight.
Unless something drastically changes in the final seven games of the season, Piroe may have to follow Gelhardt in seeking a loan or permanent exit away from Elland Road to get back to playing regular football.
The £10m attacker does not look cut out for the Premier League on current evidence, having failed to score any goals in 12 appearances, and it may be the right time to move on from him when the summer transfer window opens for business.
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