Wilfried Gnonto will be as eager as anyone in Leeds United’s squad to get back to the Premier League.
Gnonto had a brief taste of it in his debut year at Leeds and was one of just a handful of players to come out of that season with any credit.
However, Gnonto is one of very few who remain at Leeds from the side that got relegated, showing loyalty to the club when at one stage 13 months ago it looked like he wouldn’t.
Journalist Nancy Froston believes Gnonto has the quality to be Leeds’ main man this season, having been overshadowed by two of his best friends at Elland Road Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter last term.
If Gnonto can produce the sort of consistency he has shown in the opening six matches across the whole campaign, then he won’t be far away from being a Premier League player at Leeds again.
Gnonto shares 49ers vision behind-the-scenes at Leeds
Earlier this week, Leeds announced the next steps in their plans to redevelop Elland Road into the seventh largest club stadium in England.
Simon Jordan believes this could be the catalyst for Leeds to get back to the top. Ultimately, though, it is going to depend on returning to the Premier League.
Having said that, it certainly reaffirms 49ers Enterprises‘ commitment to Leeds. It is said the 49ers see themselves owning the Whites for in excess of 10 years.
The potential for what Leeds could achieve in that time is endless and speaking in an interview with BBC Radio Leeds, Gnonto says it is easy to see how ambitious the 49ers are from behind-the-scenes.
He said: “I would say Leeds is a really big club, maybe you wouldn’t say so because now we are in the Championship but we are ambitious and know we can go to the top.
“I feel like with the new owners as well, this is the vision they have. It’s the vision I have for myself as well. I would say the fans of course put some pressure on us as well on the team, but that’s a nice thing as well because it makes us understand where we are, that we are important and have a big role.
“I would say this type of responsibility is important within the team and I know that we have many people that understand that. Hopefully this season is going to be the good one.”
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Gnonto can reach top with Leeds after recent Angus Kinnear reveal
Gnonto is one of the players in the squad who could go right to the very top alongside Leeds’ journey of trying to get there themselves.
Several bids in the last three transfer windows have been knocked back for the 20-year-old, with Everton going as high as £23 million.
Clearly he is highly rated across football and speaking recently, Angus Kinnear claimed Leeds knocked back offers any other Championship club would’ve accepted for Gnonto due to their belief in his potential.
He said: “The financial commitment the 49ers have made is huge, and that is helping us retain lots of the players we have retained. We turned down offers for Willy Gnonto that any other Championship club would categorically would have accepted.”
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