Leeds United should have Norwich City, Celtic deal in mind amid Rangers interest | OneFootball

Joe Gelhardt and Leeds United should see Norwich City's Adam Idah deal as a move to emulate this January

Leeds United should consider the success of Norwich City’s deal to loan Adam Idah to Celtic in January this year amid reports of Rangers eyeing Joe Gelhardt.

It has been reported by Football Insider that the Premiership side have set their sights on the forward ahead of the winter market next month.

While they are far from the only club with an interest in the 22-year-old, with FLWexclusively revealing that QPR are among the possible suitors, the opportunity of Rangers does stand out.

It is clear that a move away from Elland Road in January would be the best path forward at this stage of Gelhardt’s career.

The youngster has been unable to convince Daniel Farke to give him regular minutes in the side, featuring just 12 times in the league since returning from his loan spell at Sunderland in 2023.

Norwich City’s successful Celtic deal

Idah wasn’t quite as far down the pecking order at Norwich as Gelhardt is at Leeds, but it was clear that he wasn’t seen as the top man at Carrow Road either.

His loan spell at Parkhead saw him perform well and earn plenty of plaudits from the Celtic supporters, culminating in a permanent move to the club in the summer.

This worked out perfectly for the Canaries, who earned a reported £9.5 million from the deal, according to Sky Sports.

Idah’s performances generated interest in a permanent transfer that didn’t exist when he departed in the January market, and the Whites will be hoping for the same in 2025.

Gelhardt is in a similar position where he does have a lot of clubs circling around him, but it’s difficult to see him going on a permanent basis right now.

A loan deal is the likeliest outcome, with his lack of game time making it difficult for teams to justify spending valuable transfer funds on him at the moment.

Idah flourished outside of the Championship, scoring eight goals from 15 appearances, with the change in scenery proving to be just what he needed at that stage in his career.

A move up to Scotland for the second half of the season could do similar for Gelhardt, so must be taken into consideration by Leeds.

Joe Gelhardt needs positive loan spell to kick-on his career

Gelhardt’s career is currently at risk of stalling out unless he can find a new club where he can get regular minutes and perform.

The forward’s loan spell at Sunderland in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign showed plenty of promise, but he has done virtually nothing in the 18 months since returning to Leeds.

A move down to the lower ends of the Championship could work out, but there is a risk that his next club will be desperate for results and will have very little patience for a January signing getting up to speed.

Meanwhile, Rangers will have the league, domestic cup competition and potentially Europe to contend in, so should have plenty of minutes to hand out for him to get used to his new surroundings without as much pressure to instantly perform.

The Glasgow outfit are also keen to reinforce their attacking options, so someone coming in and making an impact in those six months on a loan is likely to earn permanent transfer interest in the summer.

If Gelhardt can emulate Idah’s form for Celtic, then Leeds would surely be open to negotiating a permanent deal in the summer, just like Norwich.