Leeds United do not expect to lose star attacker Wilfried Gnonto this summer despite speculations that he has submitted a transfer request.
Elland Road guests may have had a sense of déjà vu in the last week or two.
The Gnonto saga took place last summer. Will he stay or go? He did his best to leave, going on strike to try to force his way out of the club, but, as many feared, he was kept to the terms of his contract and eventually stayed put.
After Leeds sold Archie Grey, Crysencio Summerville, and Georginio Rutter, the Italian is one of the few big names left in Daniel Farke’s side, and there are rumblings of another likely exit for Gnonto.
came up again. He has made a significant improvement. From this time last year, when he was an effective outcast from the team, to now being the person on whom many United fans hope.
If he leaves, it would look that Leeds is once again on the verge of collapse, but this does not appear to be true.
Leeds’ attitude on Wilfried Gnonto’s move Leeds Live reports that the club has no intention of letting the 20-year-old depart before the end of the transfer window, and that he has not submitted a transfer request.
They noted that once it became evident that he would not be going last summer, he has acted properly, regaining the faith and respect of the group.
members, coaches, and supporters, and has not challenged Farke’s threat that there will be no third opportunity for him. This summer, Gnonto has received numerous ties to elite teams. According to Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds turned down Everton’s £23 million approach for the Italian winger. Football Insider predicted that a £25 million bid would be sufficient to persuade the Whites to sell, although this was before the announcement of Rutter’s impending departure.
If Leeds were to lose him now, it would appear that nearly all of the venom from last season’s attack has vanished. The bombardment of wide attackers they could unleash on opposing defences was too much for most to manage. The weapon is no longer as effective.
It will become even less so if Gnonto leaves.
He didn’t threaten against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, but he did score his first goal of the season against Portsmouth on Leeds’ opening day. Latest news should offer Leeds fans encouragement.
If the winger had reversed his conduct, gone professional last summer and then thrown his toys out the pram now, after all of his co-stars had left the group, it would have been more understandable. Leeds no longer appear to be the prospective promotion contenders they were only a few weeks ago.
Fortunately for United, that has not occurred; they have had faint déjà vu rather than Groundhog Day. He hasn’t dropped tools and sought a transfer, which should give fans hope for his future.
With the sales that have already occurred and those that are about to be confirmed, there is a significant hole to be filled in this United team. Gnonto might take advantage of the club’s current unsettled position by asserting himself as the main guy and becoming this season’s Summerville.
It’s a big ask, but the opportunity is there if he wants it. The most recent news suggests that he does.
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