With Willy Gnonto expected to leave in January, Leeds United manager Daniel Farke may be in for another busy transfer window soon.
According to the Italian news outlet Napoli Calcio Live, the 19-year-old prospect wants to leave Elland Road to play in a “major” league, with clubs in Serie A interested in recruiting him.
Fiorentina and Sassuolo are said to be interested in Gnonto, who filed in a transfer request in the summer in order to force a move to Everton in what was an eventful and action-packed summer in West Yorkshire.
Farke reintegrated him into his squad before the transfer deadline, implying that all was forgiven and that Gnonto would be foolish to betray that trust again after being given a second chance.
It remains to be seen whether Everton will make another bid in January, but all roads now point to another Gnonto saga in January, which means additional pressure on Farke as he tries to guide his new side to a playoff spot.
The Italians’ desire to return to the Premier League is not going away anytime soon, which is fair given that Gnonto is a step above the Championship.
However, Farke and the club’s stance for the season has been made clear, and it is up to the Italian wonderkid to get his head down and deliver when Leeds United most need it in the coming weeks and months.
Going back to Italy and playing in Serie A for Fiorentina and Sassuolo would most likely keep him on Luciano Spalletti’s radar for the Italian national side longer than playing in the Championship at Leeds.
The Whites have already lost many of their key players during the summer transfer window, and Farke will not want to think about the domino impact Gnonto’s decision could have on players like Crysensio Summerville, Liam Cooper, and Pascal Struijk, who may also leave.
If such is the case in the coming months, Farke may find himself between a rock and a hard place at Elland Road, given what has happened at the club in recent months.
Leeds just cannot afford another January transfer crisis. However, Gnonto may have already begun.
In other Leeds United news, three players are poised to return to action at The Den on Sunday, according to an encouraging Elland Road injury update.
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The Welsh press reacts to Joe Rodon’s performance as the Leeds United loanee plays the entire game against South Korea.
Wales kept a clean sheet against South Korea in an international friendly on Thursday [7 September] thanks to Leeds United loanee Joe Rodon.
Rodon, who joined Leeds on a season-long loan from Tottenham last month, played the entire 90-minute game at Cardiff City Stadiu
The 25-year-old was one of only four outfield players to remain on the field as Wales only managed their second clean sheet in 13 games.
Rodon’s performance received a 7/10 rating from Wales Online [7 September] due to “a couple of nervy moments where he needed to be bailed out by his teammates.”
On BBC Radio Wales [7 September], Simon Church advised Rodon to “just get rid” rather than attempting to play out from the back.
Aside from that awkward moment, Rodon was otherwise solid and came close to scoring in South Wales.
“Rodon rose well… but his hopes of a first Wales goal were dashed by a full-length Kim [Seung-gyu] save,” according to the Daily Post print version [8 September, page 29].
Former player Nathan Blake informed BBC Wales’ live blog [7 September] about that uncommon opportunity for either side: “Joe Rodon got up really well, just not able to generate enough power.” Nice and cosy for the keeper.”
completed work
Rodon’s most notable contribution to the game was his chance early in the second half, which resulted in one of only five shots on goal at either end of a poor game.
However, the former Swansea City player is not in the team to score goals, but rather to keep the opposition out, which he did – just!
As admirable as it was to see Rodon try to pass the ball out of difficulty in his one nervous moment, Leeds manager Daniel Farke would like to avoid situations like that when club football returns.
Being certain on the ball is one of the reasons Farke brought Rodon to Elland Road, but he can’t rely on his teammates to ‘bring him back’, as Wales Online put it.
Rodon will almost certainly play a complete match against Latvia on Monday, which is virtually a must-win game if Wales is to qualify for Euro 2024 automatically.
Fingers hoped that the centre-back recovers in time for Leeds’ visit to Millwall a week from Sunday [17 September].
Another Leeds United player is creating a name for himself on the international stage.
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