Willy Gnonto tipped for Premier League transfer after Leeds development
Adam Virgo believes Wilfried Gnonto is one step away at Leeds United before he is ready to move to the Premier League.
The 21-year-old is expected to be on the shortlist of Premier League sides in January despite Daniel Farke regularly rotating the forward this season as he was named on the bench for the 4-0 win against Oxford United on Saturday [21 December].
However, Virgo named Gnonto in his Football League Paper column [22 December, pg 39] as one Championship star destined for the Premier League and the Sky Sports pundit noted one key aspect wherein he must improve to succeed in the top flight.
Writing: “The other one – and it sounds obvious – is Willy Gnonto at Leeds. Every time I see him, he seems to do something, he seems to be creative.
“The guy has got caps for Italy so everybody knows that he’s a top-class player. The only thing holding him back is that he never seems to hit a consistent streak of goalscoring. Rectify that and he’s a Premier League player without a doubt.
Wilfried Gnonto should remain at Leeds United
While Gnonto’s nine-goal contributions in 22 Championship appearances leave much to be desired, he remains a crucial figure in the Leeds squad.
The goals have been hard to come by for the Italian this year, but his tendency to make an impact off the bench has been vital to the Whites’ success, notably when Farke introduced him in the 4-3 win against Swansea City, wherein he scored the match-winning goal.
He has all the tools to take his game to the next level at Elland Road and, at 21, has plenty of time to develop into a top Premier League forward.
However, the sentiment is shared with sides already plying their trade in the top division, and some may be willing to test Farke’s resolve when the transfer window opens on 1 January.
Gnonto may not be the first name on the team sheet every week, but he is starting matches more often than not and with the gruelling Championship fixture schedule, managing his minutes will be necessary.
Therefore, with Leeds well on track for automatic promotion and even a title push approaching the midway point of the campaign, jumping ship would be far too great a risk to take at this stage of his career.
He will be a Premier League player one way or the other, but if Gnonto wants an opportunity to start matches in the top flight rather than warming the bench, he will be best served remaining in West Yorkshire until the end of the season before reassessing his options.
In other Leeds news, a Chelsea transfer twist has emerged in the Whites’ bid to sign Dario Essugo in January.
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