Willy Gnonto representatives upset after what happened behind the scenes at Leeds United
Willy Gnonto and his representatives are upset after the forward was made to train alone by Leeds United and told he will not be joining Everton, according to the Daily Mail.
Leeds made clear in a statement last Friday [11 August] that Gnonto would not be sold this summer amid suggestions they had already rejected two offers from Everton.
Simon Jones reported on the Daily Mail’s online edition on Tuesday [15 August] that United’s stance has not changed and Gnonto is now cutting an isolated figure at their Thorp Arch training base.
It is claimed that Gnonto is upset as he “wants to return to the top flight to stay in with a chance of retaining his place in the Italy squad for the European Championships”.
Leeds in control
Leeds fans have every right to be upset at Gnonto as the forward has made himself unavailable for selection for Leeds’ past two matches – an EFL Cup win at Shrewsbury Town and a 1-0 Championship loss at Birmingham City on Saturday [19 August].
If the latest development is anything to go by and Gnonto is indeed training away from his teammates, it seems unlikely he will be included for the big showdown with West Brom on Friday [18 August].
While the 19-year-old may be eager to stay in the Premier League, where he impressed with his two goals and four assists in a poor side last season, there is a certain way of going about it.
Given he has four years still to run on his contract at Elland Road, the ball is very much in Leeds’ court.
Unless a team offers a substantial sum – clearly more than the £15m reportedly tabled by Everton so far – then they have every right to stand firm, regardless of what the player or his representatives think.
Should the window close without an adequate offer coming in, Gnonto cannot simply sulk for the next four months until it reopens again.
If he truly wants to continue representing Italy, the best way to go about it right now is to make himself available for selection and score goals in the Championship.
In other Leeds United news, another first-team player was absent from training as a Premier League move beckons.