This Leeds United trio all have quality but circumstances in the coming months may dictate where their futures lie
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
13:02, 24 Feb 2026
Wilfried Gnonto has started just four Premier League matches this season
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Wilfried Gnonto has started just four Premier League matches this season(Image: Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
There are only 11 Premier League matches left of the season, albeit the total number of FA Cup matches Leeds United will play is not known.
Reaching the fifth round allows those on the fringes the chance to show their credentials, and perhaps why they still ought to be at the club in the long term. The reality for a few players is that they are probably already heading for the exit door.
Illan Meslier and Sam Byram will almost certainly not be offered renewals with their contracts due to expire this summer, while Fiorentina loanee Jack Harrison’s days at Leeds look numbered at best. Others sit on the precipice.
That is by no means to necessarily designate these players as poor but that given their lack of game time and thus their season trajectory, they might seek pastures new amid their hunt for minutes and Leeds needing to mind their spending scope.
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Wilfried Gnonto
Gnonto is a fans favourite and a player that undoubtedly has talent. He has been around for so long it is easy to forget he is only 22. At the same time, over the past 12 months, he has started just 11 league games.
The Italian has not started in the Premier League since a poor display as a wing-back against Manchester City back in November, although has started both FA Cup ties, scoring against Derby County.
Supporters will not want him to leave and neither will Farke. Not only has he got his best years ahead of him, he still has a contract until 2028.
Yet the player himself might wish to seek more assured game time if the right offer arrives this summer - and that is not beyond the realms of possibility. If he does exit then Farke and the board will receive eye daggers from supporters.
Joel Piroe
Piroe might have been included in the Byram and Meslier category by some in regards to probable summer exits, and the likelihood is that they are right. He might not get the minutes he needs to prove himself ultimately, and his snub for the cup XI at Birmingham City will have stung.
The striker looks destined to leave but Farke has described him as the best natural finisher he has worked with, which counts for something. Also, who knows what lies ahead on the injury front.
Should either of Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Lukas Nmecha be ruled out with injury for a period of time, Piroe jumps up the order and his chances of game time increase. Score a few vital goals and he could pose a question.
Admittedly, this is a mere hypothetical that fans would actually wish to avoid and the task ahead is incredibly steep - he has scored in just one game across the last 12 months. He’s got three months to save his Leeds career.
Karl Darlow
This might seem a strange choice given he is currently first choice goalkeeper but there is a wider context, not least being that his contract expires in June. Should Darlow keep Perri out of the side for the rest of the season, a renewal looks likely.
Maybe the prospect is tabled regardless. But Farke has hinted that he would have liked a new goalkeeper in January and that is unlikely to change come the summer as things stand, despite saying he is happy with the form of his current options.
Should Perri manage to creep back into the team ahead of Darlow, the Wales international - who turns 36 in October - could have to make a choice over whether he would be comfortable being third choice next season given Perri will not be leaving.
This is presuming Leeds stay in the Premier League. If they don’t and Darlow remains in goal, maybe a different conversation over his future has to take place anyway.
Why not others?
Some may point to Perri himself and want him gone should he not come back into the side. The issue here is finances, and Leeds inevitably taking a loss on the initial £13.9m they paid for him last year. With limits already tight, this prospect seems unlikely.
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Others may have questions over Ao Tanaka given his struggles this season. Yet Leeds currently only have five senior midfielders, or six if Brenden Aaronson is included - that is not a lot for a Premier League team.
Also, it is not like Tanaka has not contributed at all - his goals against Liverpool and Chelsea point to his promise at this level. It would seem harsh to show him the door given there is obvious raw talent there.
Daniel James may come into the thinking of a few too, but his new four-year deal last summer makes him harder to shift amid elevated wages and his dearth of game time due to injuries this season. Plus, Farke is a big fan of James which always counts for something.