Daniel Farke could repeat Djed Spence axe with Leeds United star Wilfried Gnonto in January
Leeds United are expecting a slightly quieter transfer window at Elland Road this January than they had during the summer when players seemed to be moving in and out every day.
But the business has already started early in Daniel Farke’s side, with Tottenham loanee Djed Spence being sent back to Tottenham by the German boss to bring an early end to his season-long loan with the Whites [Phil Hay, 4 January].
Since that news broke, LUFCFanZone has reported on its Twitter account (5 January) that the loan was terminated at the request of Farke who was unhappy with the 23-year-old’s attitude following the New Year’s Day win over Birmingham City.
The final straw for the Leeds boss was a reported confrontation in which Spence questioned why he had been left on the bench for the entirety of the win over Wayne Rooney’s side and voiced his unhappiness with being left out of the starting XI.
Farke was unhappy with the Tottenham loanee’s attitude and response and therefore asked for Spence’s stay in Yorkshire to be brought to a premature end.
While that appears to be the end of that situation in its entirety, the Leeds United boss’ ruthlessness in this situation could well serve as a warning to other players under his management at Elland Road during the January transfer window.
One man whose future at Leeds continues to remain uncertain is Wilfried Gnonto, with the Italian winger continuously linked with a move away from the Championship after he made himself unavailable to try and force through a move during the summer.
Since then Farke has praised the 20-year-old’s attitude in training and matches suggesting that he always works hard on the training pitch and has been impressed with his work ethic when he has got on the pitch in recent weeks [Leeds Live, 1 January].
Gnonto has only started seven of Leeds’ 26 Championship games so far this season and may well be frustrated with his lack of involvement over the festive period. However, he has been shown that he has to continue to work hard in training or Farke will throw him out the door as he did with Spence.
The Leeds boss is not afraid to be ruthless and the Italian cannot afford to let his standards slip if he wants to resurrect his career at Elland Road. Should his attitude once again falter if he looks to push for a move, Farke may treat him in the same manner at Spence.
In other Leeds United news, Patrick Bamford has revealed how his teammates reacted to a “ludicrous” change at Elland Road