The former Wigan Athletic forward now finds himself within the ranks at Leeds United, fighting for a place in Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Joe Gelhardt is an English professional soccer player who plays for Premier League side Leeds United.

He began his career as a member of Wigan Athletic's youth academy from the age of ten. However, after graduating in 2018 and spending two years within the first team, Gelhardt made a move to Yorkshire.

The striker now plays for Premier League club Leeds United and has already impressed boss Marcelo Bielsa within the beginning of his tenure to make a handful of senior appearances.

Beginnings at Wigan

Gelhardt started his playing career within the ranks of Wigan Athletic and progressed through the youth setup to the first team.

The Englishman joined the club in 2013 and by 2018 he had signed his first professional contract. In Wigan's third game of the 2018/19 season, Gelhardt made his senior debut during an EFL Cup fixture against Rotherham.

Despite failing to score on his first professional start, he certainly displayed his goal scoring potential during Wigan's Under-18s FA Youth Cup run.

In the fourth round of the competition, Gelhardt netted a hattrick in a 6-2 win over Hull City as The Tics progressed to the fifth round where they would then be knocked out by Liverpool.

Gelhardt's potential in front of goal did not go unrecognised, and in Wigan's penultimate game of the season, the striker made his Championship debut, coming on at half time in a 1-1 draw with Birmingham.

At the age of 17, Gelhardt had already made a huge impression and highlighted his potential to be a future star.

In the 2019/20 campaign, the striker became a first team regular, albeit mostly as a substitute.

It turned out to be the only goal of the season for the striker, as he failed to score in the following 16 matches.

But despite his failure to score in the Championship, it didn't deter interest from Leeds United, who remained impressed at Gelhardt's goalscoring numbers in the youth setup.

Premier League potential with Leeds United

Gelhardt signed for Leeds in August 2020, putting pen to paper with a four-year contract. He was immediately integrated with the club's Under-23 side, where he managed to hit the ground running.

During his 17 games, Gelhardt scored 11 and assisted three - enough to catch the attention of the club's coaching staff.

He scored his first goal for the under-23s in a 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Gelhardt would go onto bag a brace against Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough, as well as claim the match ball in a 5-0 win against West Bromwich Albion.

His remarkable output earned him a handful of features on the first team squad, but he failed to come off the bench and register any minutes for the Yorkshire side.

However, in the 2021/22 campaign, Gelhardt finally enjoyed his breakthrough to the first team.

Partially thanks to his form, and also due to Patrick Bamford's long-term injury, Gelhardt made his professional debut for Bielsa's side during a 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the Premier League, coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute.

He would claim his first goal contribution for The Peacocks in a 1-1 draw with Wolves - going down inside the box which allowed Rodrigo to equalise from the spot in the 90th minute.

More recently, Gelhardt played 87 minutes in Leeds' 2-0 defeat to Spurs. Although the striker has not scored for the first team, his impressive displays in Premier League 2 have kept him in Bielsa's travelling squad, and it surely can't be long until he gets off the mark.

International career

Gelhardt began his international career with England's Under-16s and has now progressed to the Under-21s as a part of their Euro 2023 qualifying squad.

He made his first appearance for England as a part of the Under-16 squad during an international friendly against Spain. Three days later he would score his first goal for England during a 2-0 win over Scotland.

The striker made a significant impact for the Under-17s, scoring six times in 13 games. However, more recently, Gelhardt was called up to feature for England Under-21s.

Personal life

Gelhardt was born in Liverpool and grew up in Netherton, Merseyside. The striker is known to be a lifelong fan of Liverpool FC.

Due to his love of Liverpool, Gelhardt's footballing inspiration is Fernando Torres. However, his playing style has been compared to Evertonian Wayne Rooney instead.

Net worth

Joe Gelhardt's net worth is reported to be £700,000.