Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has said that Joe Gelhardt is not a player he is targeting in January.
The Leeds United player is expected to leave Elland Road when the transfer window opens, with Rangers, Preston North End and Pompey all being named as potential destinations in a report earlier this week.
Gelhardt Rumours Quashed
With the South Coast club linked to the fringe player at Leeds, John Mousinho was asked if the 22-year-old was a target for him in January. He told the Portsmouth News:
“Nothing in that one (Gelhardt) and nothing has crossed my desk on that. He’s a fantastic player, though I know he’s not been playing this season but there’s nothing to give you on that one.”
Gelhardt is under contract at Elland Road until 2027 but has struggled for game time this season under Daniel Farke. He has only played three times for the Yorkshire side this season, with a large majority of his minutes coming in an EFL Cup game against Middlesbrough. Leeds reinforced their wing options over the summer with a loan move for Manor Solomon from Tottenham Hotspur and the permanent signing of Largie Ramazani to support Willy Gnonto, who plays on the same wing as the former Wigan Athletic youngster.
Writer’s View
It will definitely come as good news for teams interested in signing Joe Gelhardt that Portsmouth are a non-runner in this contest. They would have certainly been a good option to go to on paper with their Championship status and could have proved his mettle in a relegation scrap. However, Pompey have arguably their best depth in attack now Colby Bishop has returned from his surgery. The main concern should be limiting the goals and John Mousinho has spoken about defensive reinforcements this window, so much of their activity in January is likely to be centred there.
1st Class Honours in Multimedia Journalism at Salford University. Writing mainly about League Two.
