It feels incredibly likely that Willy Gnonto will leave Leeds United this summer, as Freiburg make their interest known in the Italian.
United’s summer window is going to be another measured approach to consolidating in the Premier League. Paraag Marathe’s open letter to the fans held an obvious sense of caution. And, it’s understandably so after watching his predecessor Andrea Radrizzani stumble badly off the back of one good Premier League season.
In that letter, Marathe notes that we will still spend every penny available. But, he also stresses that to maximise our spending power, some sales are inevitable.
Willy Gnonto could be sold by Leeds United after Freiburg interest surfaced
Reading that statement from Marathe, some Leeds fans have interpreted that as ‘Leeds are skint’. I don’t believe that to be the case. I read that as: sacrifices will have to be made with certain players being sold, in order to grow our transfer budget and reinforce the team ambitiously.
Therefore, you’re looking at higher-value assets that won’t completely devastate our squad if they were sold. Willy Gnonto immediately springs to mind. His transfer value won’t reflect the influence he’s had on our squad since promotion.
It was reported recently that Freiburg have already been in talks with the Italians representatives. It indicates some willingness from Gnonto to consider an exit.
That, and his Instagram post feeling like a farewell of sorts, suggests Leeds have a decision to make on Gnonto. It’s clear that if Leeds were to sell, the fee received would dwarf the £3.8million we paid for him in 2022.
Having such a profitable squad player is sure to pique the interest of the 49ers as they weigh up saleable assets. Similarly, such a talented player will attract attention from good clubs. Freiburg were 90 minutes away from the Champions League, before being thumped by Aston Villa in the Europa League final.
Leeds United could use Willy Gnonto move to Freiburg in order to sign Noah Atubolu
If Gnonto does head to the Bundesliga club, Leeds could use that newfound relationship with Freiburg to remain in dialogue.
Leeds are likely to consider a goalkeeper this summer. Karl Darlow has more than earned a new contract, and I’d love to see him retained. But, there’s a general consensus that a drastic improvement between the sticks would be welcomed by Daniel Farke and Leeds fans alike.
Enter Noah Atubolu.
The Bundesliga stopper has been in seriously impressive form for the mid-table club. Having just turned 24 this week, the league’s website compared him to goalkeeping icon Manuel Neuer due to his large wingspan and ability to make stunning point-blank stops.
Not only that, but Atubolu’s distribution is consistently lauded as some of the best in the division. Importantly for Leeds, that’s a key area of contention after Lucas Perri’s teething issues on the ball.
Atubolu also falls into a familiar bracket for Leeds’ recruitment focus. This season, out of all Premier League clubs, Leeds had the highest percentage and volume of players in the 23-29 ‘peak age’ bracket:
Add to that Atubolu’s contract running for 12 more months until 2027. Suddenly, you have a player that perfectly slots into what the 49ers are looking for from potential targets.
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