Leeds United will not regret huge Willy Gnonto call as January looms: View | OneFootball

The August contract agreement with Wilfried Gnonto looks even better now than it did when it was announced

Wilfried Gnonto’s new Leeds United contract from August will come as an even bigger relief several weeks on from its announcement as the January transfer window starts to creep closer.

Many Whites supporters were glad to see the Italian commit his future to the West Yorkshire outfit after some uncertainty over whether he would stay with the club, given the amount of stars that were touted to leave Elland Road following their play-off final defeat to Southampton.

There had already been an exodus of top attacking talent earlier in the summer, with Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter notably departing in big-money deals to West Ham and Brighton respectively.

But it was confirmed on the club’s official website on August 31 - a day after the transfer window slammed shut - that the versatile forward signed a new four-year deal to keep him at Elland Road until the summer of 2028.

While Gnonto’s performances had underwhelmed relative to Summerville last season, supporters were still keen to see him stay due to the massive potential he possesses.

Wilfried Gnonto is living up to his potential for Leeds United in 2024-25

When Gnonto signed his new contract, he spoke about wanting to improve further, and that he felt Leeds was the place to do that.

The pint-sized Italian claimed that he had a lot of quality he could bring to the team in their pursuit of a place back in the Premier League.

“Since the start, I felt like Leeds United was like a family,” said Gnonto, via the club’s official website.

"I felt at home since the start and the fans were with me. My teammates helped me through the start.

"I have many teammates, many changes, but I feel like this is a good place to be and I feel like I can improve even more.

“I feel like I can bring many things to the table. I know my qualities, of course and I know my character, I feel like I can gel really well with the team.

“So I try to give my best every time and I feel like everyone can see it.”

Gnonto showed flashes of brilliant in his debut campaign at Elland Road, registering two goals and four assists in the Premier League from 24 appearances.

But his star didn’t shine as brightly in his second year, and whilst he contributed to eight goals from 36 games in the Championship, that is a pretty low figure compared to the expectations there were - and he was rarely starting matches either ahead of Dan James on the right.

With Summerville and Rutter earning big moves to West Ham and Brighton respectively, it was easy to imagine Gnonto also moving on too, given he still had potential.

But now the 20-year-old has gotten his head down, and has kicked on to become a key part of Daniel Farke’s side.

Leeds United will feel relieved in January 2025 having control of Wilfried Gnonto's future

Leeds fans - and manager Daniel Farke - will now be relieved that there should be no speculation over his future going into the January transfer window.

The decision to keep Gnonto, and extend his stay to 2028, has paid off quickly, with his performances immediately improving with the beginning of the new campaign.

The youngster has already doubled his assist tally from last year, four versus two, and has two goals to his name as well.

A goal and assist in the Whites’ 3-0 win over Coventry City was a particularly noteworthy performance, as was his two assists in the 2-2 draw with Sunderland right before this October international break.

If he can continue improving and performing at this level, then he will be crucial to Leeds’ push for automatic promotion.

And if that promotion is secured, then the Yorkshire outfit will certainly have no regrets over this contract decision, as it will give them plenty of leverage if and when potential suitors next come knocking.

You of course can't stop transfer speculation from arising even when a player is on a long-term contract, but the price-tag it will need to get Gnonto away from Elland Road will likely be too significant for clubs to be interested for now.