Dublin , Ireland - 12 August 2026; Wilfried Gnonto of Leeds United during the pre-season friendly match between Manchester United and Leeds United at Croke Park in Dublin. (Photo By Ben McShane/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Willy Gnonto left Leeds United on transfer deadline day earlier this week.
The 22-year-old returned to Italy, signing for Fiorentina on loan. The Serie A outfit also has an option to buy.
In all honesty, Gnonto’s move away this summer felt inevitable given how little he played last season. I’m just surprised there wasn’t much talk regarding the winger leaving sooner.
This does not make it any less sad. Gnonto is a fan favourite with bags of potential, but it doesn’t look like he will reach his full potential if he stays in West Yorkshire.
Following his move, Gnonto has since issued a heartfelt statement to Leeds United, the club he has been at since 2022.
“I’ll always be one of you…” – Willy Gnonto sends emotional message to Leeds United and their supporters
Even if Fiorentina do not buy Gnonto, it feels inevitable that his time at Leeds will be over regardless.
With Jean-Matteo Bahoya joining us on deadline day, the competition for places out wide has only increased further.
So if Gnonto does return to us next summer, it’s likely that he will be sold.
In a statement posted on his Instagram, Gnonto said his goodbyes.
“Wishing everyone at Leeds United an amazing season. I’ll always be one of you.” His message was followed by two heart emojis, one yellow and one blue.
Daniel Farke will face backlash if Willy Gnonto impresses out on loan
Despite being a far more talented attacking player than Brenden Aaronson, the American was deployed over Gnonto last season due to his work rate.
Ultimately, we can’t argue with the fact that this worked, as we finished 14th last season. But it is reasonable to suggest that Gnonto should’ve got more minutes off the bench than he actually got last season.
The youngster played just 535 Premier League minutes in the last campaign. (Sofascore)
So if he goes on to tear it up for Fiorentina in Serie A, fans will be right to question Daniel Farke’s decision to frequently snub the Italian when it comes to not including him in the starting XI more often, which even stretches back to when we were in the Championship.
As a player, it’s clear that Gnonto was not Farke’s cup of tea, and it didn’t seem like he could change that.
So the wisest course of action for Gnonto was to leave. But this doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking for supporters.
