Darren Bent blown away by ‘big’ Wilfried Gnonto call at Leeds United after deadline day
Darren Bent has been blown away by Wilfried Gnonto’s “big” decision to sign a new Leeds United contract at Elland Road.
Having been linked with a move away from Yorkshire throughout the transfer window, the Italian international put pen to paper on a new deal with no exit clauses only hours after the transfer deadline [Graham Smyth, 31 August].
Gnonto’s decision comes after a summer of high-profile exits at Elland Road and talkSPORT pundit Bent believes his new deal could be crucial as the Whites push for promotion back to the Premier League.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Monday (2 September, 16:41) he said: “Now they’ve got the players that have left out of their systems, I know for Leeds fans, Archie Gray, that was the one that hurt the most him leaving.
“[Crysencio] Summerville leaving, Gnonto signing a new contract by the way that’s big.
“But I just think with Leeds if they can continually pick up results with the squad that they’ve got, I’m not saying they’ve got one of the best squads in the Championship but certainly they’ve got quality and they can certainly have a push.”
Will Wilfried Gnonto exit Leeds United after new Elland Road contract update?
Few Leeds United supporters would have expected Gnonto to remain at Elland Road beyond the close of the transfer window after Gray and Summerville departed, let alone put pen to paper on a new contract.
While the signing of players like Ao Tanaka and Manor Solomon will massively help Daniel Farke’s bid to win promotion back to the Premier League, keeping Gnonto for the foreseeable future could be just as important.
The Italian winger arguably hasn’t quite managed to hit the heights expected of him in the Championship so far, but alone has the quality to unpick a defence with a single pass or dribble that cannot be undervalued.
Although a new deal doesn’t mean that he definitely won’t exit Elland Road in the coming transfer windows, it means that the Whites are now in a much better position to earn a good fee for his services if he is to depart.
Regardless of what happens over the coming months, this new contract feels like an excellent piece of business for everyone involved.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites have responded after last-minute swap deal speculation emerged around Joel Piroe
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