Why Leeds United exit was best for all parties after brutal Wilfried Gnonto assessment

Leeds United were spot-on to let Wilfried Gnonto leave for Fiorentina.

The Serie A side have signed the 22-year-old winger on loan, with an option to buy, and the package deal could reach £18million.

Having starred for Daniel Farke in the Championship, the Italian youngster will continue his development with La Viola for now.

Gnonto struggled for regular minutes in the Premier League last season and it wasn't surprising to see him leave Elland Road on deadline day.

While the attacker did deal with a few injuries last season, he only got four starts in the English top flight.

With Harry Wilson and Jean-Matteo Bahoya signing for the West Yorkshire outfit, the writing was certainly on the wall for the Italy international.

Why Wilfried Gnonto exit makes sense at Leeds United

Gnonto will be playing under Paolo Vanoli, who wanted to sign the winger in January.

Stephen Warnock believes there are several reasons why the Italian ace ended up leaving Elland Road.

In a brutal assessment of the attacker, the former defender suggested the physicality and speed of the Premier League were a bit too much for him.

While Gnonto did perform well in the Championship, he failed to replicate that impact and influence in the English top flight.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post on 10 September, Warnock said, "So, I think there are a number of reasons [for his exit].

"And we haven't even mentioned the physicality and speed at which football is played in the Premier League, which is probably all a bit too much for him as well."

How Wilfried Gnonto fared in Fiorentina debut

Fiorentina sacked Fabio Grosso after just three league matches in charge.

The Serie A side find themselves at the bottom of the table with zero points on the board.

Gnonto came on as a second-half substitute for La Viola against Torino in their previous fixture, but wasn't able to do much in the 2-1 loss.

In the winger's 45 minutes on the pitch, he recorded an xG of 0.11, xA of 0.01, took three shots, failed to find a teammate with any of his four crosses and failed to complete his only attempted dribble, as per Sofascore.

The Elland Road hierarchy will hope Fiorentina's prospects improve in the coming months and that they permanently sign Gnonto next summer.