“A difficult situation” – Gus Poyet issues claim on Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto dilemma

“A difficult situation,” Gus Poyet said of Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto problem.

Poyet has provided his opinion on what the leadership should do next after the Italian received serious transfer interest this summer.

Leeds United’s sluggish start to the season is improving as a result of recent recruitment activity and better attacking ability.
Wilfried Gnonto’s latest injury is a blow to the squad because he has been a consistent player and may be sidelined until the next international break.
Despite the controversy surrounding Gnonto’s behavior earlier this season, Leeds should keep him in the January transfer window because he could be important in their bid for Premier League promotion.

Leeds United are finally looking like the team that was expected to compete for automatic promotion in the Championship after a difficult start to the 2023-24 season.

The Whites struggled to get accustomed to Championship life in the opening few weeks of the campaign, but their summer transfer business is now starting to pay dividends.

New head coach Daniel Farke has unlocked the scoring capabilities of his attacking unit, with four goals dispatched past Ipswich Town in late August and Watford had three hit past them on Saturday without reply.

There are still improvements to be made by United, but they will now be expected to mount a challenge for the top two in the second tier of English football – they could do with having a fully-fit squad to choose from though.

One of the more recent additions to the treatment table is that of Wilfried Gnonto, who went down injured in the first half of last week’s goalless draw away at Hull City.

The Italy international forward has suffered damage to his ankle ligaments, which is set to leave him out of action until at least the next international break, which begins after Leeds’ October 7 clash with Bristol City, with Gnonto having to undergo minor surgery to clear up some damage.

Gnonto has been a regular for Leeds since the debacle that occurred in August where he refused to play in two matches for the club amid transfer speculation, although the 19-year-old soon apologised and was re-integrated back into the first-team.

What has Gus Poyet said on Wilfried Gnonto’s Leeds United future?

Former Leeds United assistant manager Gus Poyet believes that the club’s hierarchy needs to try and keep hold of Gnonto beyond the January transfer window at any cost as he could be the difference maker between them achieving Premier League football and staying in the Championship.

“The coach will always try his hardest to keep a player like Wilfried Gnonto,” Poyet said when speaking to Football League World.

“He needs to balance out how important the money would be to the club and how important the player is to the team; it is a difficult situation.

“When you have a player of that quality you want to keep them at least until the end of the season.”

What should Leeds do with Wilfried Gnonto in January?

With Leeds’ performances now coming to and positive results being gained under Daniel Farke, there’s no reason for Leeds to sell Gnonto in the January transfer window.

The club had to deal with a lot last month when it came to Gnonto’s actions and the way he reacted when he wasn’t getting his way in terms of a potential transfer away from Elland Road, but it does appear that he was being badly advised and he has now knuckled down.

It was never the right way to go about things in the first place but how quickly the situation was resolved suggests that it wasn’t all down to Gnonto in regards to his refusal to play in multiple matches.

When he recovers from his ankle injury, the Italian is expected to play a significant role for United for the remainder of the season, and his value will only rise if he begins to score and assist frequently in the Championship.