Chelsea had reportedly sent scouts to watch Wigan Athletic wonderkid Joe Gelhardt, but might face stiff competition from Liverpool for his signature, as per Goal.
The Blues have adopted a different approach this season with former star Frank Lampard taking over the managerial reigns, and he has given opportunities to the younger players this season.
Gelhardt’s rise through the Wigan youth ranks has been swift, and the 17-year old was handed his debut in the EFL Cup last year.
The young forward is yet to play in the Championship this season, but is knocking on the first-team door and might have a say in the coming months.
Liverpool are among teams who have been linked with Gelhardt as they look to replace the recently departed Bobby Duncan at the club.
Duncan’s departure was swift and it came after his agent had alleged that Liverpool holding the player at the club against his wishes. With Duncan now gone, Liverpool are looking at the talented Gelhardt to fill in the void, and potentially become a future first-team star.
Changing terrain at Chelsea would be good for Joe Gelhardt
It remains to be seen for how long Chelsea will stick to their new way of doing things.
Many believe that the club are only sticking to the youth because of the transfer ban and that they have nothing to lose under a new manager who is pretty much a rookie after just one full season in charge of a Championship club.
Regardless of what happens in the coming transfer windows, one thing that is certain is that Chelsea know-how to develop the younger players, even if they don’t go on to represent the senior team consistently.
Although Gelhardt would get into the Liverpool Under-23 team almost immediately after he signs, a move to Chelsea might just suit him better.
In recent years, the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi have made the first team, while Mason Mount has also impressed under Lampard this season, which shows that the Blues have the right sort of guidance at the youth levels.
There are many other players — like Nathan Ake — who have gone ahead and made it big elsewhere, so moving to Chelsea wouldn’t be a bad idea for Gelhardt.
The chance to potentially work with someone like Jurgen Klopp will obviously be a big opportunity to turn down should it arise, but considering everything that has been happening at Chelsea, a move there will certainly do Felgardt no harm and only help him improve as a player.
