Leeds United got their stuttering promotion charge at the top of Championship back on track with a win over Middlesbrough on Monday night, but it was anything but smooth sailing for the Whites at the Riverside Stadium.
Michael Carrick's men constantly found a way to unnerve and unsettle Daniel Farke's automatic promotion-chasing Whites, with Emmanuel Latte Lath in particular causing the likes of Joe Rodon and Illan Meslier all sorts of bother in the barnstorming 4-3 contest.
The final scoreline would ultimately swing in Leeds' favour to the visible relief of the German manager at full-time, helped by Wilfried Gnonto putting in another blistering display from down the right wing.
Now onto nine goals in all competitions for the season after firing home for 3-2 against Boro, the £3.8m fee Leeds splashed to sign Gnonto only two years ago continues to look like an absolute masterstroke.
Wilfried Gnonto's transfer to Leeds
If Leeds do end up parting ways with their dynamic Italian attacker in the very near future, the Whites will take some reassurance away from the fact they will end up making a very healthy profit on their star player.
The £3.8m spent to secure the slick winger's services from FC Zurich at the back end of 2022 continues to look like a golden bargain, with the 20-year-old ripping it up in the Championship as of late with Daniel James having to make do with a spot on the Leeds bench recently as a result.
The deal looks even more like a steal when you evaluate the millions Leeds wasted on other flops in the same transfer window Gnonto arrived into Elland Road, with the likes of Brenden Aaronson costing the Whites a reported £25m who is now nowhere to be seen in Farke's promotion-chasing camp.
Leeds won't think about selling on their standout 5 foot 7 winger just yet however even with higher-up suitors rumoured to be eyeing up his services, hoping that the 20-year-old can continue delivering in pressurised games to steer Leeds even closer to an immediate return to the Premier League.
Georginio Rutter
£36m
Brenden Aaronson
£25m
Luis Sinisterra
£21m
Tyler Adams
£20m
Marc Roca
£10.9m
Maximilian Wober
£10m
Darko Gyabi
£5m
Wilfried Gnonto
£3.8m
Wilfried Gnonto's numbers at Leeds
Gnonto would quickly become a fan's favourite during his first season donning Leeds white, succeeding whilst other names on that extensive list failed to settle down in their new West Yorkshire location.
The diminutive winger would net four goals during his debut season in all competitions, with one of those strikes coming in the FA Cup – away from the slog of the Premier League – against Cardiff City where the attacker would net this sublime beauty.
Gnonto also terrorised top-flight defences for Leeds even with his team suffering relegation at the end of his first campaign, with football talent scout Antonio Mango describing the Italian attacker as "explosive" in the process.
It wasn't a shock, therefore, to see a number of Premier League clubs circle for the 20-year-old's services in the immediate aftermath of Leeds' disastrous demise down to the second tier, with Gnonto even refusing to play at the start of this campaign to try and push a move through.
Gnonto would eventually decide to knuckle down and stay put in West Yorkshire away from being a disruptive presence, a smart decision by the now on-fire number 29 who has become even better under Farke.
His electric display away at Boro showed off how crucial he is to his side's promotion chances currently away from just his decisive strike getting the better of a shaky Seny Dieng, with a remarkable 11 ground duels won as a constant livewire at the Riverside.
Leeds slapping a bumper £30m fee above Gnonto's head is no coincidence therefore, with Farke fully aware that the likes of Everton will come back in for the former Inter Milan man soon.
Wilfried Gnonto's transfer value in 2024
That £30m price tag means the 20-year-old is now worth two times more than Kalvin Phillips' value currently, further exposing how much the former Leeds great has fallen off since leaving the comforts of Elland Road behind for the riches of Manchester City and how much Gnonto has grown to become an exciting and valuable asset.
In the case of Phillips, the struggling star has seen his value slide all the way down to a meagre £13.3m, as per Football Transfers, with his loan stint at West Ham the latest chapter in his ongoing downfall.
Phillips will look to resurrect his faltering career after his dismal Hammers spell is over, with Leeds reportedly even taking a fancy to bringing back their former academy product to West Yorkshire in the summer.
They'll definitely be able to get him back for a cut-price, whilst knowing they can definitely sell on Gnonto for far more than the £3.8m they paid to Zurich only two years ago.
It remains to be seen what Gnonto's future entails at Leeds, but if Leeds do slip up at the final hurdle in their hunt to win promotion back to the top flight, expect the 20-year-old to be edging for a move to the Premier League without the Whites.
Leeds could soon cash in on a player who's worth more than Dan James
Leeds United will be faced with a conundrum about what to do with this star in the summer.
ByKelan SarsonApr 21, 2024