Last season, Leeds United were not the best of attacking sides in the league. Daniel Farke focused more on defensive solidity and focused on counter attacks.
Personnel was also an issue; the main duo of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor did not have much in terms of quality on the bench.
Lukas Nmecha was a solid backup at centre forward, but Wilfried Gnonto and Dan James provided just one goal involvement all season. Joel Piroe was not much help either, but gave the chance for Farke to rest players in cup games.
This summer, many thought the 49ers would rectify the gap in quality in attack. Things looked promising when Julian Brandt was linked alongside Harry Wilson.
Leeds ended up landing just Wilson as Brandt chose a move to another team in Europe. The Whites brought in Jean-Matteo Bahoya after letting Gnonto leave on loan. Piroe also left, leaving the attack a bit thin.
And this has showed this season; Leeds cannot score which is affecting their ability to win games.
£18m Leeds deal looks dead as 22-year-old’s slump deepens
Wilfried Gnonto
Credit: Imago
Farke did explain that letting Gnonto and Piroe go was because he could not guarantee them playing time. They were allowed to leave on loan this past summer.
But so far, their replacements have not been the best – Wilson is struggling and Farke is not ready to thrust Bahoya straight into action yet.
Things are not going great with Wilfried Gnonto in Italy. He started brightly by scoring in just his third game for the club, but things have gone downhill since.
The winger mentioned that leaving Elland Road was a good decision for him and he felt happier, but on the pitch things are not looking great.
Since scoring against Pisa in the Coppa Italia, he has started just one game in the club’s last five fixtures. Gnonto has played just 154 minutes since and this is really disappointing.
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Things are looking bleak for Leeds star
As things stand, it will be almost impossible for Fiorentina to justify spending £18million on the Leeds star.
He is not a first choice option, nor is he performing well enough to be a squad player in this team. The Serie A side also look comfortable without him and their best attackers are producing.
Unless something drastic changes, Gnonto will end up back at Elland Road next summer.
Just like with Jack Harrison earlier this year, the Italian club will not take that risk of buying a player and hoping it works out well after a mediocre loan spell. The question now is what the 49ers will do when Gnonto eventually returns to England in the coming months.
