Leeds United Ready To Accept A Summer Offer For Their Winger: Is It The Right Decision?

Elland Road is preparing for a summer parting of ways with Wilfried Gnonto, according to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, as the club’s hierarchy signals willingness to listen to “substantial bids” for the 22-year-old Italian international. The development marks a stark shift from last winter, when Gnonto remained on the books even after Jack Harrison’s departure, and it reflects both a tactical evolution under Daniel Farke and the player’s own desire for a fresh start.

Since Farke switched to a 3-5-2 shape that prioritises wing-backs over orthodox wide men, Gnonto has found himself squeezed out of first-team calculations. His only start since late November came against Manchester City, and his total league minutes in 2024 have yet to reach the hour mark. The system, credited with tightening Leeds defensively and propelling them up the table, simply does not accommodate a traditional touch-line winger.

Gnonto arrived from FC Zurich in 2022 with a reputation for explosive dribbling and a low centre of gravity that once made him a crowd favourite during the club’s promotion push. Yet the Premier League’s tactical demands and the club’s current tactical balance have combined to marginalise the forward, who is said to favour a second-striker or central role he is unlikely to be granted at Leeds.

Boardroom thinking is pragmatic: an unhappy asset who turns 23 in September risks depreciating if left to stagnate on the bench. With Everton long-term admirers and a fee in the region of £40 million being floated, Leeds see an opportunity to reinvest in areas that better fit the 3-5-2—namely a hard-running wing-back or a dominant central midfielder. The club’s recent form has convinced decision-makers that the squad can cope without Gnonto, thinning out attacking numbers to fund reinforcements that align with Farke’s blueprint.

For the player, a move represents the chance to reboot a career that has drifted into stasis. A switch to Goodison Park, where he could operate in a front two or interchanging wide-forward role, may offer the platform he craves. For Leeds, cashing in would crystallise profit on a talent whose skill-set no longer matches the tactical template.

The question, then, is not whether Gnonto is gifted—his flashes in a white shirt have shown that—but whether keeping a high-value substitute is worth more than a cash injection that could strengthen the spine of a promotion-chasing side. With both parties acknowledging the relationship has reached a natural breaking point, the consensus around West Yorkshire is clear: if an offer approaching the £40 million mark lands this summer, Leeds should shake hands, bank the money, and allow the winger to reignite his promise elsewhere.