Leeds United to avoid Groundhog Day scenario with swift Wilfried Gnonto exit
Leeds United have already undergone a summer of change during the 2024/25 season and the club have shown no signs of slowing down.
After narrowly missing out on Premier League promotion last season, it was evident that some changes were going to occur within the club.
Daniel Farke’s men were one of the strongest teams in the Championship last season and with the moves that the club have already made, they’ve only heightened their chances of gaining promotion this season.
The Whites have seen 16 players depart and aren’t stopping there. The exit of Archie Gray is undeniably the biggest sale of the window thus far but more transfers could occur.
Crysencio Summerville has been linked with an exit all summer but, somewhat surprisingly, the Dutchman isn’t the closest player to leaving just yet.
That’s because Willy Gnonto is being chased by Everton, who have decided to reignite their pursuit for the Italy international.
That is according to the Yorkshire Evening Post [24 July] who claim that thanks to the Toffees’ sale of Amadou Onana, the influx of money that they’ve received could be put towards making a move for the attacker a reality.
Leeds United need to ensure the exit of Willy Gnonto is swift
These links have a very Groundhog Day feel about them given the Toffees were vying for Gnonto’s transfer a year ago.
In fact, the 20-year-old even handed in a transfer request to try and force Leeds’ hand into selling him.
Evidently this didn’t work as the Italy international played a regular role within Daniel Farke’s squad and helped lead them to a third-place finish.
Although the West Yorkshire outfit would likely want to keep the youngster around to help in their bid for promotion, an exit seems to be the most likely outcome.
While it would undoubtedly be a blow to lose a player of his calibre there is definitely a need to avoid a similar ugly situation to last season where it looked like Gnonto had burned his bridges with supporters.
He would eventually win their support back but it feels like the best solution might be to sanction a swift sale rather than drag out another summer of uncertainty.
In other Leeds news, Graham Smyth has shared what the “ideal scenario” at the club would be next season.
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