Ritchie De Laet, a former Premier League and Manchester United defender, had a bizarre season in 2015/16, winning two medals for two separate teams in two different leagues. The Belgian was a member of Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City team that won the Premier League against all odds, making 12 appearances and thus qualifying for a medal.
He did, however, spend the second half of the season on loan to Middlesbrough, where he appeared 10 times as they finished second in the Championship and gained promotion to the Premier League. It was a double triumph for De Laet, who even showed up at the King Power Stadium to receive his Premier League winners’ medal after they won the title after defeating Everton.
Joe Gelhardt in line for mixed fortunes of relegation-promotion from the Premier League in same season
Another intriguing story could be told shortly about Joe Gelhardt, who may have mixed fortunes at the end of the season. This season, the 21-year-old has made 15 appearances for Leeds United, who are currently 19th in the Premier League table and two points from safety.
Despite showing some fight in a 2-1 defeat to league leaders Manchester City, the Yorkshire club is in desperate need of a miracle from Sam Allardyce with three games remaining. However, the former Wigan Athletic player began the season at Leeds and will complete it with Sunderland.
Gelhardt joined the Black Cats in January and has scored three goals in 18 games to assist Tony Mowbray’s side finish sixth and thus qualify for the play-offs. Sunderland defeated Preston 3-0 on the penultimate day of the Championship, capitalising on Millwall’s collapse, who squandered a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 at home to Blackburn Rovers.
The North East club will now face third-placed Luton Town in the play-off semi-finals over two legs, with the winner facing either Coventry or Middlesbrough at Wembley on May 27. Gelhardt will face Leeds teammate Cody Drameh, who played just one game for Leeds before joining Luton Town on loan.
On the other hand, the Lilywhites have struggled for points all season in the Premier League, leading to the sacking of two managers. And they are now on the verge of relegation to the Championship, with Sam Allardyce called in to pull off a miraculous comeback.
However, Gelhardt may end up importing Sunderland to replace Leeds in the Premier League. In 2017, the Black Cats were relegated from the Premier League, and now have the chance to finally reclaim the lost glory. Meanwhile, Gelhardt isn’t the only Leeds player competing for a promotion while on loan. Cody Drameh, a defender who played for Luton Town, is also in the playoffs.
But, unlike Gelhardt, Drameh has been with the team for virtually the entire season after appearing only once in the league for Leeds. Sam Allardyce’s men are now fighting their way out of the relegation zone after a terrible run of seven wins in 35 games. Leeds are in 19th place in the table with 30 points and will need a miracle to keep their Premier League status.