1168 Joe Gelhardt

Biography

Pacy striker Joe Gelhardt joined the Tigers on a half-season loan in January 2025 and made an immediate debut when coming on in the second half of a fine 1-0 victory at Millwall – he scored his first goal for the club four days later against Queens Park Rangers.

Joseph Paul Gelhardt was born in Liverpool and raised in the Netherton area to the north of the city just west of Aintree Racecourse.  Despite being raised in Merseyside Gelhardt came through the academy ranks at Wigan Athletic, 15 miles to the east, where he played from the age of 10 and rose to join the scholarship scheme during 2017, earning his first professional contract in August 2018.  That contract was signed days after Joe made his first team debut for the Latics in a League Cup tie against Rotherham United while just 16 years and 3 months old – he added a second senior appearance against Birmingham City in April 2019.  In January 2019 he scored a hattrick in the FA Youth Cup for Wigan Athletic against Hull City.

During the 2019/20 season Gelhardt was on the fringes of the Wigan first team as they struggled at the foot of the Championship, he scored his first senior goal in September 2019 against Hull City and took his Latics tally to one goal in 21 appearances by the end of the season.

In August 2020, shortly after Wigan had dropped into League One, Gelhardt joined Premier League side Leeds United on a long term contract.  He made his senior debut for Leeds in a November 2020 EFL Trophy match against Blackpool, towards the end of the 2020/21 season he was an unused substitute eight times in Premier League matches – in the meantime he burnished his reputation with eleven goals for Leeds’ Premier League 2 reserves team.  He made his Premier League debut for Leeds against Southampton in October 2021 and scored his first senior goal for the club against Chelsea in December 2021.

Joe began the 2022/23 season as a regular substitute for Leeds and scored twice in an October 2022 EFL Trophy tie against Tranmere Rovers.  At the end of January 2023 he joined Championship side Sunderland on a half-season loan, debuting against Millwall in early February 2023 and helping the Black Cats to the end of season play-offs with three goals (one of which was against Hull City, continuing the theme) in 20 appearances.  Sunderland lost the play-off semi-final to Luton Town and Gelhardt returned to his parent club.

Leeds United were relegated to the Championship for the 2023/24 season and Gelhardt was again a regular substitute for the Whites without establishing himself as a first team starter – he remained on the bench during Leeds’ play-off campaign in May 2024, which ended in Wembley defeat to Southampton.  Joe made only 3 appearances, totalling 72 minutes, in the first half of the 2024/25 season ahead of his January 2025 loan move to Hull City, by which time he had scored six goals for Leeds United in 82 appearances.

Gelhardt was a regular international choice for England during his younger years at Wiagn Athletic and Leeds United, recognised as one the game’s finest prospects of his age.  Two goals in 4 appearances for England Under-15s were followed by three goals in 7 appearances for the Under-16s between February and April 2008.  Between September 2018 and May 2019 Joe amassed 14 appearances for England Under-17, scoring six goals (including a brace against Norway in his September 2018 debut) and playing in three games during the May 2019 Under-17 Euro Championship Finals played in Ireland. He rose to the Under-18 squad in September 2019 and scored three goals in 6 appearances, two against Poland and one against Austria while captaining the team.  In September 2021 Joe scored a hattrick against Romania in his only appearance for England Under-20, a month later in October 2021 he was called up for England Under-21 and was an unused substitute against Slovenia – this was the last of his international selections.

Details

Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 4 May 2002, Liverpool
Hull City First Game: 18 January 2025, Millwall A (Championship), 22 years, 259 days old
Hull City Final Game: [current player]

Clubs

Wigan Athletic (2018-2020), Leeds United (2020-current), Sunderland (2023, loan), Hull City (2025, loan)

Hull City Record

Career: 4 apps, 1 goals

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