Willy Gnonto transfer exit fears panned as Leeds United ace is ‘model professional’ under Daniel Farke
Any suggestions that Willy Gnonto is “throwing his toys out of the pram” at Leeds United and wants to leave because he isn’t playing are “all incorrect”, according to Ben Jacobs.
The CBS journalist told GiveMeSport on 13 November that on the contrary the Italian has been a “model professional” since apologising to Daniel Farke over his previous attempt to leave during the summer window.
Reports have started to emerge ahead of the January transfer window indicating that the teenager is looking to move on midseason, but Jacobs has dismissed the question until at least next summer.
Jacobs said: “If he’s not playing at the end of the season, then a full season will have passed and then Leeds might be a little bit less reluctant to let him go because the dynamic and the situation will have changed a little bit. So, I think it will all be clarified in the summer.
“But this idea that he’s unhappy again, this idea that he’s throwing his toys out of the pram, this idea that he’s pushing again to move away, because he hasn’t had game time as much as he would have liked in recent weeks is all incorrect to my understanding.
“Since the apology to Daniel Farke, I’ve been told that Gnonto has been a model professional and relishes the challenge of breaking back into that starting 11.”
Encouraging
On paper Gnonto seems like the most logical of the established first-team names to be looking for an exit in the winter, given he pushed to go just months ago and has fallen down the pecking order since.
But if that isn’t actually the case then it is to his and Farke’s credit that they’ve moved past the previous disagreement and are focused on the rest of the season.
Purely in terms of the impact the teenager is currently having on results Leeds United would likely be far more amenable to accepting a big bid in the upcoming window than they were in the last one, where all offers were met with blanket refusal.
Crysencio Summerville and Dan James have been in such outstanding form that Gnonto has seen his opportunities to reprise some of his performances from last season greatly reduced.
But this being Leeds United there is always a damaging injury blow lurking around the corner so if anything were to rule out the Dutch or Welsh wide men then the Italian international would be the next man up.
So he is sure to be needed at some point this season if there are no developments towards an exit, although it seems unlikely that anything can 100% be ruled out until 1 February.
In other Leeds United news, another talented young Whites ace is very much expected to push for a January exit even if Gnonto doesn’t.