In contrast to the 2023 transfer window, West Bromwich Albion will be hoping that this one is considerably better.
Due to the financial uncertainties and continuous talk of a takeover into the summer, manager Carlos Corberan had few options in the market.
Corberan hasn’t allowed this stop his team from pursuing promotion despite the fact that the team has only been able to add players on loan or through free transfers.
At the end of the season, West Brom appears to be well-positioned to be in the play-offs. However, the club might also be keeping an eye on the automatic promotion fight, since Leeds United’s advancement to the Premier League may benefit the Midlands team in terms of forward Joe Gelhardt.
| Championship Table (As it stands April 17th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Ipswich Town | 43 | 32 | 89 |
| 2 | Leicester City | 42 | 41 | 88 |
| 3 | Leeds United | 43 | 42 | 87 |
| 4 | Southampton | 42 | 30 | 84 |
| 5 | West Brom | 43 | 24 | 72 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 43 | 16 | 71 |
| 7 | Hull City | 42 | 8 | 65 |
| 8 | Coventry City | 42 | 14 | 63 |
West Brom were linked with Joe Gelhardt in January
As previously noted, West Brom has struggled in the transfer market this season, but that hasn’t stopped them from adding players.
The team had an opportunity to bolster their play-off campaign in January, and it appeared the Baggies were considering a potential trade for Joe Gelhardt.
After signing for Leeds United in 2020, Gelhardt left Wigan Athletic, although the player hasn’t had much success in his new home.
Due to his lack of playing time this season, the striker has had to exercise extreme patience. In January, there were rumors that he might make a short-term exit.
In January, the forward was strongly linked to Scottish powerhouses Celtic and Rangers; nevertheless, West Brom was also reported to have expressed interest in the Leeds player.
Regretfully, neither the player nor the club were able to secure a transfer; nonetheless, with summer quickly approaching, the Baggies might desire Leeds’ success to bolster their possible offer for Gelhardt.
West Brom will hope Leeds United seal promotion to strengthen Joe Gelhardt chances
Carlos Corberan and West Brom will be completely focused on winning the remaining Championship games in order to secure their spot in the play-offs and to get ready for them should they advance.
The Baggies may desire for Leeds United to gain promotion to the Premier League even if the summer transfer plans are still up in the air and Joe Gelhardt is still of interest to the team.
If this is the case, West Brom will be hoping Leeds finishes in the automatic spots because, should they make it that far, they will undoubtedly want to win through the play-offs.
Leeds’ return to the top flight will help their cause, but there’s no guarantee the Midlands team will rekindle their interest in Gelhardt.
This season in the second tier, the 21-year-old has found it difficult to get consistent playing time. He has only made eight appearances total, two of which have been starts.
Given that the forward plays just 23 minutes a game on average, it should come as no surprise that he has not scored in the league thus far and has not contributed much in front of goal.
According to Sofascore.com, Gelhardt has averaged 0.4 shots per game, but just 0.1 of those are on goal. He has also only had 10.5 touches of the ball and hasn’t given the team many good opportunities.
The young striker’s lone victory so far this season came from starting both of the EFL Cup games and scoring one goal.
GET MORE NEWS HERE