By Anthony Onifade

15th Sep, 2023 | 6:10pm

Leeds United: Daniel Farke could be left in a rut in January as Wilfried Gnonto exit decision made

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke could now be set for another whirlwind transfer window soon with Willy Gnonto now looking to leave in January.

Italian news outlet Napoli Calcio Live reported on 14 September that the 19-year-old talent wants to leave Elland Road to play in a “major” league with clubs in Serie A keen on signing him.

It is understood that Fiorentina and Sassuolo are two of the clubs who are in pursuit of Gnonto, who handed in a transfer request in the summer in order to force through a move to Everton in what was an eventful and action-packed summer in West Yorkshire.

With Farke reintegrating him into his squad before the transfer deadline, it was suggested that all was forgiven and Gnonto would be silly to break that trust again after being given a second chance.

It remains to be seen if Everton will return with another bid in January but now all roads are leading to another Gnonto saga in January which means more stress for Farke as he aims to successfully navigate his new side to the playoff place.

The Italian’s wish to seal a Premier League return is certainly not going away any time soon, and it is totally understandable seeing as Gnonto can be deemed a step above the Championship.

However, Farke and the club’s stance for the campaign has been made pretty clear and it’s up to the Italian wonderkid if he is to get his head down and deliver when Leeds United need it most in the coming weeks and months.

Sure, going back to Italy and playing in Serie A for Fiorentina and Sassuolo would probably keep him on Luciano Spalletti’s radar for the Italian national team a bit better than it would in the Championship at Leeds.

The Whites have already lost so many of their key stars over the summer transfer window and Farke will not want to be imagining the domino effect Gnonto’s exit decision could have for players like Crysensio Summerville, Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk who may also decide they want to seek pastures new in January.

If that were to be the case over the coming months, Farke could certainly be stuck between a rock and a hard place at Elland Road given what’s already transpired at the club over the past couple of months.

Leeds simply cannot afford another saga-filled January transfer window. But, Gnonto may have already kicked things off.

In other Leeds United news, a promising Elland Road injury update has emerged as three players are now set to return to action at The Den on Sunday.