Wilfried Gnonto ran over to the bench to celebrate with Josuha Guilavogui after his goal for Leeds United against Middlesbrough.
Gnonto opened the scoring in scruffy circumstances at Elland Road and with Guilavogui sat on the bench, the two shared a nice embrace on the touchline.
It is now almost two months since Guilavogui joined Leeds on a free transfer and although all six of his appearances so far have been brief, his impact on the squad is clear.
Guilavogui delivered a big dressing room speech before Leeds’ win away at Swansea City last month, showing just how quickly he has established himself as a leader.
His post on social media after Leeds’ win over Boro shows just how quickly he has fallen in love with the club, and him being part of a promotion winning team would be brilliant.
Gnonto on Guilavogui’s off-field impact at Leeds
Leeds‘ squad has had nothing but positive words to say about Guilavogui since his arrival, and in an interview with LUTV, Gnonto is the latest to speak highly of him.
Pascal Struijk hailed Guilavogui as a ‘top guy’ before he had even made his debut, while Daniel Farke has also repeatedly praised his attitude.
Due to his decision to celebrate with him on Tuesday night, Gnonto was asked about the impact the 34-year-old has on both him and the squad.
Gnonto says Guilavogui has been ‘great’ not just for him, but the entire squad due to his excellent ‘attitude’ and abundance of experience.
He said: “Yeah I think so, I don’t know if he expected it but I knew I was going to score and go to him. He told me before the game I was going to have a good game and score so I was really happy. I feel like it was a good moment for him too.
“I feel like he’s had a great impact. He’s a good guy and he’s had a lot of experiences in the past. He always try to help people, he’s always there with a good attitude and he’s always smiling.
“With me personally he has been great since the start. I am really happy to have him and it’s good to have this type of personality in the dressing room.”
Leeds could not have found better free agent than Guilavogui
When Leeds were forced to enter the free agent market, the remit was finding a player who could still make an impact once both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev return.
With Ampadu now back and Gruev on the road to recovery, Guilavogui could soon be fifth choice midfielder, which some players would not be happy with.
However, Guilavogui’s attitude in the dressing room and on the training ground mean he will still be able to make an impact, even when he’s not playing.
That is exactly the sort of thing Farke was wanting at the beginning of the search in early October.
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