Glen Kamara's exit from Elland Road being confirmed recently wouldn't quite have been the same intense sucker punch that Archie Gray's major move to Tottenham Hotspur was for the Whites, but it would still have hurt.
Leeds United fans were only able to savour the former Rangers man in action for one full season before he decided to jump ship to French outfit Rennes, with more tweaking and reshaping of the squad now needed from Daniel Farke, which has already started with the temporary measure of Joe Rothwell joining the Championship club on loan.
The powers that be at the Whites might have well have had slight smiles on their faces, even though they were about to lose a dependable head, when you consider the fact they purchased Kamara for just £5.5m last year, before flipping him on to his new Ligue 1 employers for a reported £8.4m.
There is another situation very similar to Kamara's that could now happen again from a Leeds point of view, as the gutting of Farke's squad that many feared would happen at the close of last campaign continues to start feeling very real, as Wilfried Gnonto's name starts to dominate anxious conversations.
The latest on Willy Gnonto's future
It has been widely reported that Gnonto could finally get his long-desired wish of a bumper move up to the Premier League this summer, after handing in a transfer request right at the start of last campaign to try and speed up a switch away from the Whites.
It was Everton then that was the main name floating about, and it's the Toffees again in the here and now that want the 20-year-old to move to Merseyside ahead of the forthcoming season. TEAMtalk report that talks are ongoing between the two clubs but a deal is yet to be agreed.
However, a new update by the iSport states that this could be a tricky deal for Sean Dyche's men to pull off, as the likes of Newcastle United and Aston Villa now potentially swarm in on the ex-FC Zurich attacker's services to get a deal done.
Regardless of what his new onward destination is, whether that be at Goodison Park or alternatively lining up for the Magpies, Leeds look to be facing an uphill battle to keep a grip on Gnonto past this hectic transfer window.
Scoring plenty of goals last season for Farke's men as they narrowly missed out on the glory of promotion, the Italian winger will be itching for an opportunity to test himself in the league above, having made the Championship his playground at points.
Gnonto's numbers at Leeds
Gnonto would arrive as a fresh new kid on the block at the start of the 2022/23 season at Elland Road, eager to make an impression, after coming in highly rated by his ex-Swiss club.
The diminutive attacker would help himself to four goals and four assists from 28 games in all competitions during his debut campaign, a promising young spark in a downtrodden Whites camp for the most part, as relegation was confirmed to the second tier at the end of his first full season.
1. GK – Illan Meslier
2. RB – Rasmus Kristensen
3. CB – Robin Koch
4. CB – Liam Cooper
5. LB – Pascal Struijk
6. CDM – Marc Roca
7. CM – Adam Forshaw
8. CM – Sam Greenwood
9. RW – Rodrigo
10. ST – Brenden Aaronson
11. LW – Wilfried Gnonto
Unlike many others who walked away from Leeds in the aftermath of their demoralising drop down a division, Gnonto would eventually knuckle down and star for the Whites, even if his relationship with Farke began on a sour note.
The ex-Inter Milan youth player would even refuse to line up for the West Yorkshire outfit right at the start of the campaigh, but would eventually become a relied-upon attacker for the German when he decided to drop this childish behaviour. The electric 20-year-old attacker subsequently went on to cause many a second tier defence bother.
The youngster would amass nine goals and three assists last campaign when thrown into action, constantly competing with Daniel James for rights to the spot down the right flank, with Crysencio Summerville very much making the left-hand side his own.
His slick early exploits for Leeds even saw ex-Whites coach Michael Skubala describe the gung-ho number 29 as "special" last year when taking the reins on a short-term basis. That was before he then transformed into a key part of the terrifying attack Farke had constructed, alongside Georginio Rutter and the aforementioned Welshman and Dutchman.
Gnonto's transfer value in 2024
The Championship side could be set to sell on the much talked about 20-year-old for a bumper £25m reportedly, which means he's not only worth even more than top stars James and Rutter – according to Football Transfers, but also Crysencio Summerville who French reports state may now be available at a cut price of £17m. That's despite that feared Whites pairing amassing better numbers last campaign between them.
If that figure does turn out to be the amount Leeds manage to offload Gnonto for, the Whites will be extremely pleased, even with the setback of an important attacker moving on.
Leeds only purchased the 5 foot 7 winger for £4m fromZurich, with that gamble more than paying off, if the likes of Newcastle or Everton lavishly splash the cash shortly.
Transfer value
£25m
£12m
£11m
Games played
43
51
46
Goals scored
9
8
13
Assists
3
16
8
Amazingly, Rutter and James are estimated to have lower valuations of £12m and £11m respectively, despite both attackers sweeping the floor somewhat with their counterpart when it comes to goal contributions, as can be seen above.
Leeds will not complain though if a Premier League side does bid an extortionate amount for Gnonto, and if suitors were to come in for either the Frenchman or the former Manchester United attacker as well, they would no doubt ask for a heftier sum than what Football Transfers are suggesting.
Everyone associated with Elland Road will be ticking off the days on their calendar until the window slams shut from the point of view of many first-teamers being touted for major moves away, but an injection of cash here and there could enable Farke and Co to bring in new quality as well.
It remains to be seen whether Leeds can get over their play-off hangover or not this season to come, but it looks increasingly more and more likely that Gnonto won't be playing a role in another promotion attempt.
Leeds could brilliantly replace Gray as Farke eyes move for £7m star
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ByDan EmeryJul 18, 2024