Gyabi leaves: 2 players Leeds United should loan out this summer | OneFootball

Now that the dust has settled on a Leeds United campaign that promised so much but failed to deliver promotion to the Premier League, the club must find time to pause, regroup, and plan for another season in the second tier.

The Whites' disappointing 1-0 loss to Southampton in the Championship play-off final will have unfortunate consequences on and off the pitch.

After losing 'the richest game in football', the Yorkshire side will have to balance their books to stay within the EFL’s financial rules, and some of Daniel Farke's key players will have to leave Elland Road for the club to meet their profit and sustainability targets.

Crysencio Summerville, the 'EFL’s Championship player of the year,' looks set to be one of the first out of the door. The Dutch international’s stock lies far beyond the second tier, and he has been consistently linked with a move to the Premier League.

But, while the exit of the club’s prize assets will attract most of the attention and scrutiny, Leeds will begin to draw up plans for players heading out on loan.

This season, multiple Premier League regulars were sent out on loan domestically and abroad by the Whites. Some Leeds players have loan clauses built into their contracts, upon the team’s relegation from the Premier League, these became active.

Marc Roca (Real Betis) and Jack Harrison (Everton) both enjoyed successful seasons away from the club on loan as a result of these stipulations. Roca and Harrison will depart on temporary deals again if Leeds fail to find a permanent buyer for the pair.

Away from the mandated moves, FLW pinpoints two players Leeds United should loan out this summer.

Darko Gyabi

When Leeds fended off European interest to secure the signing of England U20 international Darko Gyabi from Manchester City, there was a feeling that he would be the successor to Kalvin Phillips, destined to fill the midfield void at Elland Road.

Yet, two years down the line, the composed 20-year-old struggled for opportunities under Farke this season. Unable to force his way into the starting fold, he opted to go out on loan in January to Plymouth Argyle in search of Championship game time.

Thrown into the side by then-Pilgrims’ manager Ian Forster, he hit the ground running. Gyabi’s dynamic, box-to-box play style energised the Plymouth midfield and earned him a starting spot during his time at Home Park.

Unfortunately, the talented youngster’s loan spell was cut short in March when it was decided that he would undergo surgery to deal with a groin problem.

Although Gyabi enjoyed a successful spell in the South West, it feels unlikely that Farke will open the door for him to challenge for a spot in the starting team.

Now that he has tasted regular first-team football, Gyabi will surely push for another loan move next season if his alternative is warming the bench at Elland Road.

As the Manchester City academy graduate can perform in a central or deep-lying role and has proven his worth as an effective Championship player, he will be on the shortlist for numerous second-tier teams looking to bolster their midfield ranks in the upcoming transfer window.

Gyabi’s Leeds contract runs until 2026. By then, supporters of the Whites will hope that the player has taken the Championship by storm on loan, been recalled by the club, and has finally kicked on and integrated into the starting side.

Joe Gelhardt

Had Leeds achieved promotion through the Championship play-offs, Joe Gelhardt’s exit from the club would surely have been accelerated. This season, the 22-year-old has been cast out of the starting picture by Farke and has every right to feel hard done by.

Since Gelhardt put pen to paper and completed his move from Wigan Athletic to Leeds in 2020, he has scarcely seen the starting minutes he would have hoped for.

Throughout his time at the club, the striker’s appearance stats have flattered to deceive: while the youngster has made 45 appearances for the Whites, he has only started eight League games during his time at Elland Road.

Gelhardt has reached a crossroads, and with three years left on his Leeds contract, it is paramount that a deal is struck in the upcoming transfer window to secure the forward first-team football next season.

Yet, whether Leeds will look to send the player out on loan or sell him to a permanent buyer remains to be seen.

A loan move would best serve the interests of Leeds and Gelhardt. If the striker is to star at another club, the Whites would have the option to re-introduce him into the starting side off the back of a successful campaign; alternatively, they could move him on for an increased transfer fee.

The energetic number 30 remains relatively unexposed, and while Gelhardt has been overlooked by Farke, he still has the potential to excel at Championship level or beyond.

Gelhardt currently finds himself behind Georginio Rutter, Joel Piroe, Patrick Bamford, and Mateo Joseph in the pecking order. With no prospect of a consistent run in the team and four players standing in his way, he must push for a move this summer.

It has been a while since the attacker was last in the shop window, if there is to be no route back into Farke's consideration, an impressive spell elsewhere could drum up attention from across the English football pyramid.