Birmingham City have been thwarted in their attempt to sign Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt, after Hull City made a last-minute intervention to secure a permanent deal for the 24-year-old. Gelhardt, who spent last season on loan at Hull, was on the verge of finalising a move to St Andrew's before the Tigers stepped in.
Gelhardt's Impact at Hull
Gelhardt was a key figure in Hull's promotion to the Premier League last season, scoring 15 times during his loan spell, including the second goal in a 2-0 play-off semi-final win at Millwall. He is now expected to sign a long-term contract at the MKM Stadium, with Hull having been forced to act quickly after it seemed they might miss out on a reunion.
According to HullLive, Hull had held lengthy internal discussions throughout the summer about whether to pursue a move and had planned to act later in the window, after securing other targets. However, they have now decided to try to get the deal wrapped up before Gelhardt goes elsewhere.
Blues Left to Rethink
Birmingham City had appeared to be on the cusp of signing Gelhardt, with the second city his intended destination until Hull's intervention. Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic had made it clear that Gelhardt was one of his top transfer targets, and the Tigers will now try to strike a deal with Leeds. There was also apparent interest from Wrexham.
Last season was Gelhardt's second loan at Hull, for whom he has now made 60 appearances and scored 20 goals in total. The forward's move to St Andrew's now appears to be off, leaving Blues to look elsewhere for attacking reinforcements.
Blues' Season Underway
Birmingham City began their season last weekend with a Carabao Cup win at Swansea. They face Sheffield United on Saturday (5.30pm) in their first Championship game of the term, as they look to build on a positive start without Gelhardt in their ranks.
