The Whites manager admires a characteristic of one of his players.
Despite manager Daniel Farke‘s praise for his attitude, Leeds United could give the “green light” for a “brilliant player” to leave Elland Road in January.
Leeds is losing ground in their promotion bid.
Leeds are losing momentum in their Premier League promotion bid, currently sitting nine points behind second-placed Ipswich Town, who occupy the second automatic slot, after winning just one of their previous five Championship games.
The Whites‘ record has dipped since their promising start to the season, and Farke will be trying to restore it – and fast – if they are to leapfrog Ipswich Town and Southampton into the top two.
Leeds face Birmingham City on New Year’s Day, which represents a decent opportunity to get back on track against a team that isn’t exactly in fantastic form.
Farke‘s side may also attempt to bolster their ranks in the upcoming January transfer window, with reports this week claiming Leeds are interested in signing Bournemouth forward David Brooks.
Leeds‘ transfer plans may need to be bolstered financially by players moving the opposite way, and Wilfried Gnonto is widely expected to do so.
Leeds may give the go-ahead for Gnonto’s departure.
The Italian has appeared in 19 of Leeds’ second-tier games, but only seven have been starts, which must be frustrating for Gnonto.
According to Il Romanista.it, Gnonto wants to leave Leeds and the club may “give the green light” to his departure, with “several teams” from Italy interested.
Lazio and Fiorentina are among his admirers, but Farke’s men will only let him go if a decent offer of roughly £13 million is made.
This season, the Italian has only scored one goal and assisted on another, a far cry from his electrifying Premier League form last season.
Nonetheless, Farke has lauded Gnonto‘s attitude in dealing with a lack of opportunities to start.
“What I like a lot about Willy at the moment is his attitude,” Farke stated earlier this month to the Yorkshire Evening Post (via LeedsAllOver).
“He was always the centre of attention, the poster boy.” It’s difficult when he’s on the bench, but when we score and do well, Willy is the first to celebrate on the pitch. I enjoy how we have a good team spirit and are glad for our teammates. It’s also a fantastic solution for determining the best route back. He just needs to be tenacious and patient and keep going, and he’ll be back to his best in no time.”
In an interview with GiveMeSport, journalist Dean Jones expressed surprise that Leeds did not start such a “brilliant player” more regularly.
“I’m really surprised a player that is this good is not in the starting lineup at a Championship club,” Jones added.
“Especially since he was given a second chance to make things work at Leeds and was forgiven for that brief misstep in the summer.” He’s a fantastic talent, but he also needs to have the appropriate mindset.”
Leave a Comment