Amid Leeds’ loan exodus, Willy Gnonto is one player they will try hard to keep - The Athletic 17/7/23

By Phil Hay

Marc Roca has got his move to Real Betis, and if there is one area where Leeds United are making tangible progress, outgoing business is it.

Roca follows Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Rasmus Kristensen, Brenden Aaronson and Rodrigo through the Elland Road exit door as, one by one, Leeds clear the decks post-relegation. Others will leave before the window closes on September 1 but a large part of this summer’s planned exodus is already complete.

How profitable those exits have been for the now-Championship club is another thing entirely. Leeds have dealt almost exclusively in loans in terms of their departures so far and while each deal removes a salary from the wage bill, reducing that cost and creating financial fair play wriggle room, they have recouped very little in the way of transfer fees. Relegation and the summer after it is proving a fairly damning indictment of their past recruitment.

With the exception of Rodrigo, though, the players who have gone so far were generally names Leeds intended to lose in the aftermath of their drop down from the Premier League.

Rodrigo was one who the pending new owners, 49ers Enterprises, talked about trying to hang onto, but the chances of the Spain international staying to play second-division football were always slim and with his scheduled return to training at Thorp Arch rapidly approaching, he took an offer from Al Rayyan in Qatar last week. He, like others in the squad, had a release clause in his contract; there are certain moves Leeds are powerless to prevent. In the meantime, with their takeover yearning for EFL ratification, Leeds have been waiting to complete a signing of their own — advanced talks with Chelsea mean they are close to securing Wales international Ethan Ampadu as a strong first recruit.

Not all of their players are subject to release clauses, however, and there are particular assets they can manage with greater control in this window.

Willy Gnonto, their pace-and-flair Italian winger, is one; a teenager who has already been the subject of enquiries but who Leeds are under far less pressure to sell. While Rodrigo was never likely to stick around, the club genuinely see Gnonto as someone they can retain, potentially by tying him to a new contract. They have already knocked back one approach from top-flight Everton and will try to resist future contact about him.

Everton, who survived at Leeds’ expense on the final day of last season, were reported on Sunday to have seen a £15millon ($19.6m) bid for Gnonto rejected. Sources close to discussions, who asked not to be named for reasons of confidentiality, have denied a formal offer was made, but there is no disputing Everton’s interest in him and The Athletic has been told their approach was quickly rebuffed.

Leeds value Gnonto at more than £15million and do not want to lose him anyway. Given the extent of financial fair play pressures at Everton, those with knowledge of their finances are not sure in any case if they could raise the necessary funds to seriously test Leeds’ resolve.

Gnonto, in contrast to so many of the club’s other prominent footballers, is not subject to a relegation release clause. When his £5million transfer from FC Zurich in Switzerland was done last September, a low-key signing completed in the closing hours of the summer window, negotiations did not generate any provision allowing him to move on for a fixed price or on pre-agreed terms if Leeds went down.

The same is true of goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who joined from Lorient for £5million in 2020 after a season-long loan went well.

Meslier’s existing deal, a five-year agreement signed in 2021, is also believed to be free of a release clause, though he is someone Leeds expect to sell in this window. While Gnonto is wanted for the forthcoming Championship term, Leeds are of the view that a change of scene might be good for Meslier after two tough seasons playing behind their leaky defence. There is scope to make a healthy profit on him, despite the recent scrutiny of his form and development.

Gnonto was given a later return date than most of the squad for pre-season training, on account of his involvement with Italy at the European Under-21 Championship — a tournament Meslier also participated in with France. Gnonto was expected back at Thorp Arch tomorrow (Tuesday) to meet new manager Daniel Farke and begin preparing for the August 6 season opener at home to Cardiff City.

He is just 12 months into a five-year contract but his quick adaptation to the Premier League enhanced his reputation and Leeds are likely to look to improve his terms if Gnonto is happy to stay.

Not everything about the 19-year-old’s first season in England was perfect. He found games harder to come by during Javi Gracia’s short spell as head coach from February to May and his form diminished visibly as a result. But in his better games, it was plain to see how Gnonto could be a highly influential weapon down in the Championship; an international-level attacker with a valuation high above the fee Leeds paid for him. Farke’s usual 4-2-3-1 system would accommodate him without great difficulty, as would the manager’s preference for short, quick passing and a team who like to have the ball at their feet.

The success of the Farke model will not solely come down to those players Leeds retain over the next month and a half. Before long, this string of exits has to be offset by high-quality signings — a category Ampadu, with his 57 Serie A starts while out on loan to Venezia and Spezia in the past two seasons and 43 senior caps at age 22, would undoubtedly fall into.

Few of Leeds’ departures to this point, though, have caused much more than public indifference about the talent that’s being lost. Most look like names they can do without, even if the club are still to outline the strategic purpose of them agreeing loan after loan. But seeing the back of a prospect such as Gnonto would be harder to swallow — and considerably more difficult to explain.