Fresh reaction given to Hull City news involving Leeds United and Joe Gelhardt - It's 'absolutely amazing' | OneFootball

Joe Gelhardt looks set to remain at Hull City for at least the remainder of the season on loan from Leeds United

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Joe Gelhardt has quickly become a fan favourite at Hull City since initially joining the club on loan last January from Leeds United, with his performances in the attack alleviating the blow of Oli McBurnie's injury.

Having broken through at Wigan Athletic, spending his entire youth career in the Latics academy before making his first-team debut aged 16, Gelhardt has struggled to hit the heights that were expected of him at such a young age.

The former England youth international made 18 appearances for Wigan in the Championship during the 2019/20 season, scoring once as the club was relegated following a 12-point deduction for entering administration, and following the conclusion of the season, Leeds made a move for the forward.

Gelhardt joined Leeds in the summer of 2020 for a reported fee of just around the £1 million mark, where he would spend much of his couple of seasons with the Whites, scoring prolifically in the Premier League 2, although he did make 20 top-flight appearances in his second campaign, scoring twice and grabbing four assists.

The 23-year-old struggled to find form after that, with a brief loan stint with Sunderland showing glimpses of his quality, unable to propel him into the Leeds side, and last January, he joined Hull on loan.

Five goals in 20 Championship matches were enough to convince Hull to go back in once more, who signed the forward on loan yet again this summer, and since the beginning of his second stint, he has been on fire.

Football League World's Hull pundit, Cameron, has shared their views on just how well Gelhardt has performed on Humberside this season, and their reaction to the news that the forward wants to remain at the club for at least the rest of the season.

Cameron said, "It's absolutely amazing that Joe Gelhardt is looking to commit his long-term future to Hull City.

"From the reports that I've read and seen, he's sort of given Hull confidence that he wants to sign permanently at the end of this loan deal, so I'm looking forward to it.

"I think Joe Gelhardt is paving the way for himself to become a Hull City legend. I think it's been a very long time since we've had a player who has shown that level of commitment and desire to play for the black and amber.

"So I think it's absolutely amazing that, first of all, he wanted to come back and then not want to go anywhere else in January when we are in the mess that we are in.

"We've not been able to make transfers and other loan deals without paying fees, etcetera, and for the possibility of him wanting to commit his long-term future here, I think that it is absolutely outstanding from the club.

"I think if we keep players like Joe Gelhardt, that level of quality, that will give us a bigger advantage for the summer, and maybe we might be able to keep on players like Charlie Hughes and attract some other really good English up-and-coming talent.

"Joe Gelhardt and Charlie Hughes are sort of best mates with Kyle Joseph as well from Wigan's academy back in the day, so they've all got a real close relationship.

"If Joe Gelhardt commits his future to Hull City, I think that gives us a really good chance of Charlie Hughes staying as well.

"But if he does go to the Premier League, which he is destined to do, I don't think any Hull fan would begrudge him.

"Joe Gelhardt has been absolutely pivotal to the club whilst we have had Oli McBurnie out, and if it weren't for his goals last season, we'd be playing in League One right now, and we wouldn't even have this scenario that we're talking about right now.

"So fans and the club owe a lot to Joe Gelhardt, and he is repaying us with everything that he has got, so it's amazing to see him want to stay at Hull City and not be recalled by Leeds.

Joe Gelhardt has quickly become a fan favourite at Hull City since his loan switch from Leeds United

Gelhardt has recently stated his intentions to remain at Hull for the remainder of the season, saying regarding recall rumours, "I haven’t heard anything. I’m contracted to Hull at the minute so I’m going to give Hull my 100%. I try to do that every game and I’ll continue to do that.

The 23-year-old would go on to say, "Me and the manager both said, I'm happy where I am and I'm ready to play for Hull for however long that is and put the Hull shirt on and crack on.

"I've done that and I'm still continuing to do that. I'm happy here. I love playing for the club."

Hull teammate and also former Wigan Athletic man Charlie Hughes said, "It wasn't just this January coming, it was after last season as well and I tried my hardest to get him back in the summer.

"I was on the phone to him every single day but it's not just me, it's the whole team, the club, the staff, the fans, they love him and they've understood how good a player he is and how big a part of the team he is.

"He speaks for himself when he's on the pitch and as you can see the fans love him and he's such a big part of the club. It would be frustrating, a sad moment if he did get recalled."

It's quite clear to everyone at Hull, including Gelhardt himself, who has seven goals and two assists in 15 Championship matches this season, that he is unanimously wanted to remain at the club for the remainder of the season.

Under Bosnian boss Sergej Jakirovic, Hull sit 5th in the Championship table after 15 matches, despite their transfer embargo, and with Gelhardt in their side, there is no reason that they can't defy the odds and secure a top-six finish this campaign.