There may be a sliver of hope for Wilfried Gnonto at Leeds United yet
The call will be more pressing for Wilfried Gnonto(Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Many fans are getting used, if not warming, to the idea that Wilfried Gnonto could well have already played his final game for Leeds United.
With just three Premier League starts last season and just 10 league starts in the past 18 months, it is no outlandish suggestion that he could look for pastures new this summer. Freiburg clearly feel such sentiment given their transfer enquiry last month.
Gnonto wants to play more and who can blame him! Still aged 22 with more than 200 senior appearances under his belt, there will be plenty of suitors for him.
Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe has said there will be sales this summer and Gnonto could well be one given his lack of league game time. And yet…
Should Daniel Farke stick to his back-three system then a potential sale moves from a possibility towards more of a probability. Gnonto is not a wing-back and Farke has not trusted him in the wide number 10 berth amid the 3-4-2-1 formation.
However, if Farke reverts to a back four that means wingers come into play – and possibly keeps Gnonto at Elland Road. Formation is the crunch summer question not just for him but also for Daniel James, who has been more favoured and was chosen ahead of Gnonto at wing-back towards the end of the campaign.
While James, who signed a new four-year deal last year, is not expected to leave, Leeds currently have three preferred natural wing options – Noah Okafor being the other.
It is possible Leeds acquire a fourth wing option, such as the admired Harry Wilson or a number 10 who can play on the flank.
Therefore, Gnonto would still have to mull over his game time chances but in this scenario he would be competing against three other options, instead of six – Jayden Bogle, James Justin and Gabriel Gudmundsson plus the other wingers – at wing-back. And that’s not to mention that a back-up to Gudmundsson is likely to be sought after this summer.
Of course, Leeds still have Jack Harrison and Largie Ramazani to return from their loan spells in the meantime. Fiorentina are not expected to trigger the £6m buy-out clause of Harrison but he is expected to leave this summer anyway. Ramazani was bottom of the winger pile before his August loan to Valencia ,which doesn’t bode well for his game time chances, even if the door might not be completely shut yet. Brenden Aaronson is another wide option, and is a favourite of Farke’s.
Maybe, then, Gnonto has even more direct competition, though if Leeds are to play a back four then Aaronson is more likely to play a number 10 role. The American was nevertheless listed as a wing option by Leeds chiefs last summer. The scales are admittedly weighted against Gnonto. While he still has bags of time aged 22, he has enough games in the tank and talent in the locker to warrant more than being a mere squad rotation option.
As for James, this season will be an important one. After a year blighted by injury, his main aim will be to remain fit for most of the campaign but also to see how Farke’s formation mindset meanders.
If he sticks with a back three long-term, it is hard to see where James can play regularly. That said, Farke prefers to be more front-footed and may at some stage – be it this summer or later – look to go back to four-at-the-back.
So the formation call this summer is not as imperative for James but it is important in regards to what future he sees at Elland Road. For Gnonto, this formation decision might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
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