Joe Gelhardt has started all of the seven Championship matches Sunderland have had since he arrived on loan from Leeds United. However, does his one goal tell the full story of his first five weeks on Wearside?
LeedsLive reached out to James Hunter, Sunderland writer at our sister title ChronicleLive, for the lowdown on how the 20-year-old has been getting on at the Stadium of Light.
What’s been your general opinion on how Gelhardt has performed in the seven matches he’s played?
Gelhardt has found it tough going at Sunderland, although that is not a criticism of him, more that he is not best-suited to playing the role of target man in a 4-2-3-1. He was clearly brought in to complement Ross Stewart, but that plan was torpedoed as soon as Stewart suffered a season-ending injury within 24 hours of Gelhardt's arrival.
READ MORE: Rodrigo set for Leeds United fitness boost as he eyes Georginio Rutter-Patrick Bamford theory
The big regret is Gelhardt and Stewart didn't get a chance to play together, as they could have been a very dangerous pairing. Given how things have panned out, Sunderland needed a striker capable of replacing Stewart rather than operating alongside him.
Gelhardt is strong and uses his body well, but he is not the type of frontman who runs the channels or runs in behind defenders, and that's what Sunderland lack. Gelhardt is also having to come to terms with starting every game, which is a situation he hasn't had either at Leeds or at Wigan.
Has the 4-2-3-1 with Gelhardt on his own suited him? How does that system work around him and the three attacking midfielders behind him?
As I mentioned, it doesn't seem to get the best out of Gelhardt, to be honest. One good thing about the system is it is a very attacking set-up, which allows Patrick Roberts, Amad, and Jack Clarke to get forward to support Gelhardt.
Amad and Clarke in particular have weighed in with their share. That has meant the goals have continued to flow. Sunderland have scored in each of their last 19 games in all competitions and are the fifth-highest scorers in the Championship, but there is a lot of room for improvement.
Gelhardt only has one goal from seven starts. Is that a concern? Is he missing chances or is the team not creating enough for him?
It's obviously a concern because he is trying to fill the shoes of a striker in Stewart who scored 10 goals in 13 games. He has had chances, but the service he's getting is not ideally suited to his game.
As I say, it's a clash of styles. The question is whether Sunderland try to adapt to suit him, or whether he is able to adapt to fit in with Mowbray's system.
What’s the general trend of conversation among supporters about Gelhardt? Is he well-liked and highly rated or are there grumblings about his lack of goals?
Sunderland fans can see there's no lack of effort on his part, but ultimately, like any striker, he will be judged on the goals he scores. The overwhelming feeling among supporters is the club should have brought in another striker as well as Gelhardt in January, particularly after Stewart was injured while the window was still open.
Most of the grumbles have been directed towards that failing rather than towards Gelhardt. They can see he's been thrown in at the deep end.
What has Tony Mowbray said about Gelhardt through these last five weeks?
On February 25, after losing to Coventry City, he said: "I don't know what the opinion of Coventry fans would be of us, but I would think they thought were an alright football team. If we had had Viktor Gyokores in our team, we would have won comfortably today.
"That's not knocking Joffy, who is a boy, but just the power and size of [Gyokeres]. Put Ross Stewart in today, and we would have won the football match. We needed men in the box to help young Joffy, who is only 20 years old and has never played games consistently in his life because he has been in the Premier League and has been a sub lots of times.
“It's the first time he has ever been asked to start football matches, and it is a big ask for him. We miss a physical threat in the middle of the goal, where players are confident enough to put the ball in the box.
“It's difficult for Joffy because he is a boy really and he can get lost among three big centre-halves.”
Four days earlier, after losing to Rotherham United, Mowbray said: "He works really hard. He will score goals and he's a good footballer.
"He's disappointed he didn't score another goal with the header after [Patrick] Roberts had flicked one into the box for him. Is it important he's gotten off the mark? Listen, strikers have to score goals, don't they?
"That's their job. It's what they do, although he's only a very young boy and he's being asked to play up front every game on his own. It's not easy for him, and we have to try to give him support and help him.
"He has to keep working as hard as he is, and whether he can keep doing it for the next 13 games or whatever it is, is going to be a big ask. He's only a boy who's never really played consecutive games, but we'll see. It'll be a good learning curve for him."
READ NEXT:
Leeds United already seeing rapid improvement from goalscoring alternative Javi Gracia likes
Leeds United confirm season ticket details for 23/24 with a price hike 'not taken lightly'
Harrison continues to frustrate, 'zero presence' from Rutter in Leeds United defeat
Leeds United failings could boil down to a four-day acid test for Javi Gracia
Ayling's Summerville anger, Gracia's telling Leeds United touchline call and moments missed
