da 888casino： Leeds United have only scored 11 goals in their 11 Premier League matches so far this season since they won promotion from the Championship last term.
da wazamba： The newly-promoted side have struggled to find the back of the net on a regular basis. That has not been because of a lack of creativity, though, as the Whites have created 14.7 xG in the division, per WhoScored.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
2.89
1
-1.89
Jayden Bogle
0.88
0
-0.88
Brenden Aaronson
1.79
1
-0.79
Joel Piroe
0.73
0
-0.73
Pascal Struijk
0.65
0
-0.65
Dan James
0.47
0
-0.47
Jack Harrison
0.41
0
-0.41
As you can see in the table above, too many players have been wasteful with the chances that have been created for them in the Premier League so far this season.
Summer signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in particular, has not been clinical enough as the starting number nine for the West Yorkshire outfit, underperforming his xG by roughly two goals.
With the team’s struggles in front of goal in mind, supporters may be thinking about what the club could do to solve the issue, whether that is through promoting academy talent, making signings in January, or recalling players from their loans.
One star who is currently shining out on loan away from Elland Road is centre-forward Joe Gelhardt, but he looks set to remain at Hull City until at least the end of the season.
Why Joe Gelhardt will not be returning to Leeds United in January
HullLive recently reported that the English striker is expected to remain with the Championship club until next summer, despite the Whites having the option to recall him in January.
The report claimed that Leeds do not have any plans to recall Gelhardt from his loan because they feel that he is in the best place to develop as a player at Hull, who are interested in a deal to sign him permanently next summer.
This shows that Daniel Farke and his coaching staff do not believe that the 23-year-old marksman is the answer to their current problems in the Premier League, or else they would be planning to bring him back to Thorp Arch to bolster the squad for the second half of the season.
The Leeds loanee has plundered seven goals and two assists in 13 Championship starts for the Tigers so far this season, per FotMob, which is why there may have been some supporters wondering if the club would look to recall him.
xG
4.59
Top 4%
xG on target
5.98
Top 3%
Goals
7
Top 2%
xA
2.48
Top 7%
Assists
2
Top 20%
Chances created
13
Top 24%
As you can see in the table above, Gelhardt has finished his chances at an incredibly efficient rate, outperforming his xG by just over two goals, but Leeds have reportedly decided that he is not the answer for them in the Premier League.
This means that Farke will have to look elsewhere to solve his team’s goalscoring woes, and he should forget about Gelhardt to unleash a young star from the academy.
Leeds' Gelhardt replacement
17-year-old centre-forward Harry Gray made his first-team debut for the Whites against Stoke City in the Championship last season, but he has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League in the current campaign.
Derby County, Swansea City, Charlton Athletic, and Hull City are four Championship sides reportedly chasing a deal to sign the teenage marksman on loan for the second half of the season when the January transfer window opens for business.
Leeds, though, should reject their advances and, instead, look to unleash Gray in the first-team with the hope that he can provide the goalscoring touch that has eluded their current options up front.
The England youth international, who was hailed as a “powerful” player by Como scout Ben Mattinson, has been in fantastic form for the club’s academy in the 2025/26 campaign, with his most notable moment being his hat-trick against Scunthorpe in the National League Cup in September.
On top of that hat-trick, Gray has also scored five goals in six Premier League 2 games and two goals in two EFL Trophy matches, per Transfermarkt, which means that the teenage forward has racked up ten goals in all competitions this season.
The 17-year-old talent had the chance to play against a League Two first-team, Accrington Stanley, in the EFL Trophy before the international break, and showed that he can make an impact against senior opposition.
Sofascore rating
8.6
Shots
3
Shots on target
3
Goals
2
Pass accuracy
71%
Fouls won
3
Ground duels won
4/8
Aerial duels won
2/7
As you can see in the table above, Gray did struggle with the aerial duels in the game, understandably as a 17-year-old against first-team centre-backs, but he did hold his own in physical contests on the deck and scored two goals in the game.
This suggests that he is ready to compete against experienced defenders, even if battling for aerial balls is not his strength, which is why Farke should look to reward him with a chance to impress in the Premier League this season.
The impressive teenager has done all that he can do to impress the head coach with his performances this season. He has scored goals at an exceptional rate in every competition for the U21s, showing that he can be ruthless in front of goal and find the back of the net on a regular basis.
As aforementioned, Leeds have not taken enough of their chances in the Premier League so far this season, which is why they need a lethal marksman who can make the most of the opportunities that are being created.
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With this in mind, Farke must unleash Gray in the first-team to see if he can make the step up, whilst Gelhardt is left to see out the rest of the season with Hull.