In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, journalist Ben Jacobs offered an update on Everton and their pursuit of Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto. Jacobs revealed that the Italian sensation has no plans to leave the Whites and could snub the Toffees this January.
Gnonto’s Season Of Mixed Emotions
Gnonto is having an up-and-down campaign at Elland Road but has managed to impress at times for the Yorkshire club in the final third. The 20-year-old has found the back of the net just once and secured one assist in 11 matches for the Whites this season across all competitions.
The 20-year-old has proven himself to be a capable presence out on the flanks based on his average of 1.1 shots, 0.5 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game in the EFL Championship. He has even been tidy when distributing the ball in the opponent’s half as evidenced by his pass success rate of 83.8% in the second tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
Gnonto is under contract at Elland Road until the summer of 2027. Hence, the Toffees would have struggled to land him as Leeds United have no reason to let him go on the cheap this winter.
What Should Everton Boss Sean Dyche’s Do With Regards To Gnonto?
Gnonto is a decent dribbler with the ball at his feet and can create the odd chance for his teammates up top. He can be a hard man to stop when he is running in full swing inside the opponent’s penalty box. The Italian talent can even strike the ball with power from long range. However, he needs to find a way to improve his productivity in the final third.
Gnonto would have added some much-needed firepower to Everton boss Sean Dyche‘s frontline. The Leeds star is primarily a left-sided wide player but can also function as a right-winger or play as a centre-forward if asked to do so by his manager. At 20, he has the potential to become a future star in English football.
However, Everton doesn’t have the financial power to orchestrate a big-money move for Gnonto this January. Hence, Dyche has now got no choice but to focus on acquiring some of his other transfer targets in the upcoming January transfer window.
