Leeds United seem to be paying the price for not being more aggressive in the January window. When the club needed reinforcements for the final stretch of the season, the 49ers failed to deliver.
So far, the only January is turning out to be a massive flop – Facundo Buonanotte has yet to replicate the form that saw him as a top target in the summer. Leeds also missing out on Jorgen Strand Larsen was a huge blow, what makes it even worse was that there were no alternatives lined up.
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Lukas Nmecha | 3 |
| Noah Okafor | 2 |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | 2 |
| Joel Piroe | 1 |
| Wilfried Gnonto | 1 |
| Dan James | 0 |
Goalscoring seems to be a real problem in the team over the last few months. The club seem to lack a cutting edge in front of goal as seen in their last two Premier League defeats. Against Sunderland and Manchester City, they created decent openings, but no one could finish off the chances which cost them both games.
Graham Smyth backs Leeds United star to be impact player in the run-in
Outside the FA Cup, not many goals have been scored in the other competitions, and this has not been helped by the injury to Noah Okafor. The winger was stringing together some form before he got injured a few weeks ago. But Graham Smyth thinks the solution to the attacking woes ahead of the run-in could be an underused player this season.
“I think Gnonto could be important, I think Willy Gnonto could be massive (in the remaining Premier League games), and it’s because he’s capable of coming up with something.” Smyth said on the Inside Elland Road podcast.
”He’s capable of looking at compact defence and mixing it up, jinking inside and unleashing an absolute cannon of a shot. I like the way he plays little quick one-twos to get into the area, tries to get to the byline, and I like the fact that he can look up and curl in a peach of a ball,”
Wilfried Gnonto deserves a chance
Smyth has a point, with Okafor out of the team, Leeds United need someone with a similar profile. Gnonto fits the bill – he is fast, and can take on his man near the box. His impact has been seen in recent games, and even in the comeback against Liverpool at Elland Road he came on to win a penalty. That alone shows how important he can be if Daniel Farke can give him consistent minutes in the run in. With other Leeds attackers failing to fire, he could be the spark that rescues the season.
