Credit: Imago

Aheed Abrar

Sat 14 March 2026 10:19, UK

Wilfried Gnonto and Dan James have surprisingly been nowhere near important enough for Leeds United in the Premier League.

The attacking duo were key players for Daniel Farke in the Championship, but fitness issues and competition for places have led to their influence diminishing.

Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal ace Alan Smith recently shared that the Italian and Welsh wingers may be surplus to requirements at Elland Road and could potentially leave in the summer.

49ers Enterprises will have to back Farke in the upcoming transfer window if the West Yorkshire outfit survive the drop, and that possibly means some players will have to leave LS11 in the coming months.

Leeds United yet to decide on Wilfried Gnonto and Dan James future

Gnonto and James face uncertain futures at Leeds ahead of the summer, according to TEAMtalk.

The news outlet reports on 14 March that while there are question marks over the attacking duo, they are still appreciated by Farke.

It’s been claimed that no decision has been made yet on the 22-year-old Italian forward and the 28-year-old Welsh winger’s exits.

With the German manager switching to a 3-5-2 formation at the Whites in recent months, it hasn’t been surprising to see Gnonto and James struggle for minutes.

The two attackers can undoubtedly contribute at Elland Road if the West Yorkshire outfit get relegated this season, but they may not have the required quality to consistently play Premier League football.

49ers Enterprises to sanction mega rebuild in Premier League

If Farke achieves the goal of maintaining the Whites’ top-flight status, the 49ers will undoubtedly have to heavily invest in the squad to make further progress in the upcoming campaign.

Paraag Marathe has ambitions at Leeds to bring stability back to the club, and that will arguably require a significant investment in quality players.

As a result, the West Yorkshire outfit will have to be ruthless with their rebuild in the summer, with the likes of Lucas Perri, Illan Meslier, Sam Byram, Facundo Buananotte, Gnonto, James and Joel Piroe clearly needing to move on.

The situation in LS11 is worth watching closely as the American owners and German manager have some big months coming up.