Credit: Tung Manh Phan

Cameron Smith

Tue 19 May 2026 13:10, UK

Leeds United winger Willy Gnonto looks set to leave Elland Road this summer.

The Italian has found game time hard to come by this season, with most of his appearances coming from the bench.

Gnonto was tipped for a possible exit back in January, but the Whites and Daniel Farke decided to keep hold of him.

Though Leeds are aware of how important sales are this summer, with the winger among a list of players seen as valuable assets to shift on ahead of next season.

Gnonto has been linked with a move to Bundesliga side Freiburg in recent days, and MOT Leeds News takes a look at why this could be the best option for the wideman.

Freiburg would be a place for Willy Gnonto to reset

After starring during Leeds’ last spell in the Premier League, Gnonto has struggled to hit the same heights.

Racking up just 503 minutes this term, the winger has fallen behind Noah Okafor in the pecking order down the left-hand-side, while Farke has remained reluctant to make use of him from the off.

In need of a reset, Freiburg could well be the perfect option for the Italian.

The South German side are currently preparing for their Europa League final clash with Aston Villa on Wednesday, with this being a massive overperformance relative to the club’s stature.

The Breisgauers are among a handful of German clubs still 100 per cent owned by the supporters, naturally resulting in a much lower budget in comparison to sides in the Premier League for example.

As a result, the majority of Julian Schuster’s side comes from smart recruitment, or players coming through the academies of either Freiburg, or clubs in the local area.

Under Christian Streich and Schuster, the Black Forest club have been in European football in three of the last four seasons, offering Gnonto the chance to play at an extremely high level, while he would be allowed time to get back up to speed after an underwhelming period at Elland Road.

Willy Gnonto would be allowed time to get back to his best

‘Kontinuität’ [Continuity], is a word uttered around Europa-Park Stadion each season, with the Freiburg fanbase carrying relatively low expectations given their stature as a club.

This does not mean that they lack ambition, with their smart recruitment and willingness to make use of everything already within the club seeing them extract everything out of a specific term.

Though, the fanbase is not one to revolt when things do go wrong, with this simply being part and parcel of supporting a club closer to Switzerland than it is any other Bundesliga club, which is owned and controlled by its supporters.

As a result, Gnonto would be given time to get back to his best level in a relatively low-pressure environment, as has been the case with a club that has had just eight permanent managers over the last 50 years.

It would not be the first time that Freiburg have rescued a career either, with local heroes Vincenzo Grifo and Matthias Ginter both returning to the club after underwhelming stints elsewhere – cementing their status as legends in recent years.

Niklas Beste is another example, having joined the Breisgauers last January after a failed stint at Benfica.

If Gnonto were to make the move, he would be joining a club with patience, while Schuster would undoubtedly hand him enough chances to get back to his best.

And after missing out on the imagined heights at Elland Road, Leeds fans would still wish him all the best as he moves on – having not once complained, or made a fuss about the lack of minutes this term.