Leeds United did manage to beef up their first team with multiple signings in the summer. But the club also cleared some space in the squad.
The 49ers had had troubled offloading unwanted players for years, but did a great job at it during this past window.
Leeds were able to sell Jack Harrison who was on high wages, and terminated Max Wober’s contract. Isaac Schmidt was sold and Joe Gelhardt joined Hull City on a permanent deal.
The Whites got more players out of the door by agreeing to loan-to-buy deals.
Largie Ramazani, Joel Piroe and Sebastiaan Bornauw are some of the players that left on temporary deals. While most were out of favour, some left because Farke could not promise them consistent first team minutes.
£18m Leeds deal could collapse as 22-year-old’s alarming slump deepens
Wilfried Gnonto
Credit: Imago
Two of Leeds United’s first team stars ended up in Italy; Lucas Perri and Wilfried Gnonto.
From the outside, it looked like Perri was destined to leave after being benched in the middle of last season. So when reports emerged that James Trafford was the Whites’ marquee target, the Brazilian was as good as gone. Perri joined Torino on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
After a shaky start, there were concerns from the Turin club who later provided the keeper with extra sessions to help his form. Perri has since improved and even kept a clean sheet in his last game.
The same cannot be said about Wilfried Gnonto at Fiorentina. His loan spell was disrupted when the Serie A side sacked their coach just days into the new campaign.
Gnonto had a goal in the Coppa Italia against Pisa, but has yet to contribute a goal or assist in his last three games. He has also made just one start, with the other two coming off the bench for a combined 37 minutes.
This has now raised questions whether his loan spell could end up being in jeopardy.
READ MORE: £12m Leeds deal back on track as 28-year-old roars back to form
Losing transfer would be a huge blow for the 49ers
Fiorentina have failed to win three matches on the bounce and sit in the relegation zone in Serie A.
If their form continues, they are heavy favourites to be in the relegation battle once again.
Last year, it took a run of form late in the season for them to avoid going down. And with how this season has started, it would not be a surprise if that was the case once again.
But a relegation dogfight would be bad news for Leeds; it could mean that the Italian side will not sign Gnonto on a permanent deal.
The same thing happened with Jack Harrison earlier this year. And if that happens, Leeds will have to find another way to offload the winger next summer.
