Leeds United could let as many as five first-team players leave on loan when the transfer window reopens in January. The West Yorkshire club is currently third in the Championship and undefeated in their last four league matches, but crucially remain seven points adrift of the automatic promotion places currently occupied by league-leaders Leicester City and Ipswich Town.
Manager Daniel Farke has established a settled side that is getting the German results, but he can’t play everyone and that means that there could be some departures in January. Express Sport rounds up the possible candidates for a new year exit from Elland Road.
Joe Gelhardt
Scouser ‘Joffy’ made and huge impact when he broke into the Leeds team in 2021, but after struggling to game time last season, he went on loan to Sunderland for the second half of the season.
Gelhardt has made only five appearances for Leeds this season, with his most recent outing on September 17 as a substitute against Millwall. As a result, another January loan moves feels inevitable.
Charlie Cresswell
Like Gelhardt, Cresswell spent last season on loan elsewhere, except the England U21 international spent the entire season at Millwall where he made 28 league appearances, scoring four goals.
But since returning to his parent club, the 21-year-old centre-back has barely had a look-in under Farke, making just four appearances so for this season. As their fourth-choice central defender, United won’t be overly keen to let him join another club incase of injuries, but Cresswell will be chasing minutes, so a loan deal could still be on the cards and there will be no shortage of interested parties.
Leo Hjelde
Norwegian Hjelde spent the second half of last season on loan with Rotherham United where he made 13 appearances. Having impressed in his time away from Elland Road it had been hoped that his Leeds career would now kick on, but he was substituted at half-time in both of United’s opening two fixtures and has not figured since.
Another loan beckons with a permanent move away in the summer a likely outcome.
Mateo Joseph
Spanish-born forward Joseph might be a regular for England U20s but he’s not troubling the Leeds United first team. With no senior appearances to his name as of yet this season, the 20-year-old has been plying his trade in the Yorkshire club’s youth ranks.
But he will no doubt fancy his chances of making an impact elsewhere, so a January departure feels like it is on the cards, whether it is with another Championship club on in League One.
Kristoffer Klaesson
Goalkeeper Klaesson could be forgiven for wanting an Elland Road exit, after making just one senior appearance in the past three seasons. The Norwegian is third-choice in the sticks behind Illan Meslier and Karl Darlow and that looks set to remain to be the case.
As far as goalkeepers are concerned, he is still young at 22, but if the Norwegian has aspirations to be a regular No. 1 then he would need to look elsewhere.
