Birmingham City have opened preliminary discussions over a move for Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt as Chris Davies looks to add more firepower to his squad.
The Blues have made promotion their primary objective after falling short last season, and improving their attacking output has become one of the club’s clearest priorities. Gelhardt has now emerged as a leading target following an excellent loan spell at Hull City.
According to Football Insider, Birmingham are exploring a season-long loan for the 24-year-old, with the possibility of a permanent transfer if they secure promotion to the Premier League.
Gelhardt attracts Birmingham after prolific Hull spell
Gelhardt rebuilt his reputation during his temporary spell at Hull last season. The Leeds attacker scored 14 Championship goals and supplied four assists, playing a major role as the Tigers earned promotion to the Premier League.
His performances demonstrated that he can produce consistently in the second tier when given regular football and a clearly defined attacking role. Gelhardt has been linked with an Elland Road exit throughout the summer, with his prospects of securing consistent minutes at Leeds appearing limited.
Birmingham now hope to provide him with another prominent role, potentially using the forward as either a central striker, second striker or attacking midfielder. A successful move would make Gelhardt the club’s sixth signing of a busy summer transfer window.
Birmingham need greater attacking output
The Blues’ pursuit is driven by their lack of goals last season. Birmingham scored only 57 times in the Championship, one fewer than relegated Leicester City. That limited return prevented them from establishing themselves as serious promotion contenders.
Jay Stansfield finished as the club’s joint-leading scorer with 10 goals, but Gelhardt’s underlying numbers suggest he could provide a greater penalty-box threat. Last season, Gelhardt averaged 0.45 goals per match, compared with Stansfield’s 0.27. He also produced more shots on target, averaging 1.18 per game against Stansfield’s 0.79.
Gelhardt’s expected-goals figure of 0.36 per match also exceeded Stansfield’s 0.30, indicating he regularly found himself in stronger scoring positions. Stansfield did register slightly better creative numbers, but Birmingham’s greatest requirement is a reliable scorer capable of converting more of the chances the team creates.
A loan with a promotion-related permanent option may prove attractive to all parties and Birmingham would avoid committing a major fee immediately, while Leeds would retain the possibility of securing a permanent sale if the Blues reach the Premier League.Gelhardt would also receive another season of regular Championship football after thriving in the division with Hull.
Gelhardt looks like a strong fit for Birmingham’s biggest weakness. Fourteen goals for a promoted Hull side showed that he can lead a Championship attack, and his numbers suggest he would offer a more consistent scoring threat than Birmingham possessed last season.
The proposed loan structure also limits the financial risk. Should Gelhardt reproduce his Hull form and help the Blues win promotion, making the deal permanent would become an obvious decision. The main challenge will be convincing Leeds to approve terms that do not leave them undervalued if he delivers another prolific campaign.
