Leeds United's once £50m-rated ace - Now Frank Lampard should consider Coventry City raid | OneFootball

Coventry City should move for Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto this summer

Barring a cataclysmic drop in form, Coventry City will be playing Premier League football for the first time in 25 years next season, with their long-awaited return edging ever closer.

It’s been a thrilling season at the CBS Arena, with Coventry one of the fastest out of the blocks, storming into a lead at the top of the table and scoring goals for fun, blowing teams out of the water in the process.

Although the goals have slowed down as the season has gone on, and victories haven’t been as convincing as often, Frank Lampard’s side has found different ways to win games, which is what has set them apart from the chasing pack.

Should they indeed be playing in the top flight next campaign, a large portion of the squad deserves a fair shot to prove themselves at the pinnacle of English football, though upgrades across the board will almost certainly need to be made to prepare for the trials and tribulations the Premier League will throw at them.

It’s exciting times for Sky Blues supporters, who will no doubt be having a better summer than most should their side go on and claim promotion.

However, for Lampard, the work may well only just be beginning, as preparations for the summer window will have already started, as the former Chelsea and England midfielder should consider targeting a current Premier League forward, once rated at around £50 million, who could be available this summer.

Coventry City should consider swooping for Leeds United outcast Wilfried Gnonto this summer

Italian forward Wilfried Gnonto joined Leeds United in the summer of 2022 from Swiss side FC Zurich for around £3.8 million, signing a five-year deal at Elland Road.

Gnonto was immediately thrust into the first team fold at Leeds, making 24 Premier League appearances in his debut campaign, scoring twice and assisting four as the Whites were relegated back to the Championship.

After briefly trying to force his way out of the club, he continued to be a regular for the following two seasons thereafter across both seasons in the second tier, scoring 17 and assisting eight in 79 Championship games, as Leeds fired themselves back to the top flight last season.

However, his game time at Elland Road has been slashed this year, with just four starts in 16 Premier League appearances, falling out of favour under head coach Daniel Farke, with the German preferring to play a system involving two wing-backs and no traditional wingers, leaving him without the role on the right he's made his own in recent years; Gnonto could play centrally as one of two strikers, or as a narrow No.10, but Farke has preferred the likes of Lukas Nmecha, Anton Stach and Brenden Aaronson in support of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Leeds could well still stay up this season, and if so, his game time is unlikely to improve next year, and he could be on the move this summer.

If Coventry join Leeds in the top flight next season, Lampard should consider a move for the out-of-favour winger to bolster his side's attacking options.

Romain Esse and Min-Hyeok Yang will return to their parent clubs following the expiry of their loan deals this summer, whilst Surinamese winger Jahnoah Markelo, who was signed in January, coincidentally also from FC Zurich, has yet to make an impact.

This leaves just Ephron Mason-Clark and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto as the club's only other two out-and-out wide options; whilst not a disastrous situation to be in by any means, a couple of other options wouldn’t go amiss, particularly one with Italy caps and enough tactical versatility to fill various roles in Lampard's system.

Gnonto was previously the subject of a potential £50 million-rated move to Saudi Arabia as recently as January 2025, and still only 22, the Italian international would certainly present an upgrade on their current options, with a fresh start elsewhere for him this summer a potential avenue he should explore.

Frank Lampard must be preparing Coventry City for promotion and should move for Wilfried Gnonto

The likelihood that preparations for the summer transfer window are being made at Coventry is high, with potential targets already being identified, shortlists being made, and players that could potentially exit being touted.

The Sky Blues’ savvy business over the years is a large reason behind where they find themselves now, with previously the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Gustavo Hamer, and Callum O’Hare all playing a part in their journey, whilst more recently players such as Milan van Ewijk, Jack Rudoni, and Matt Grimes have become integral at the CBS Arena.

Should promotion be secured, whilst they will have to adjust their transfer approach slightly, they must continue to a similar model which has got them this far and brought so much success, first under Mark Robins and now under Lampard.

Additions will be made aplenty if their Premier League status is secured for next year, and Gnonto should be considered as a potential option that's very exciting considering the ceiling he once had.