“Makes me believe” – Sky Sports pundit hints at reason behind big Leeds United, Willy Gnonto decision
Pundit Don Goodman believes there was a key reason behind why Willy Gnonto signed a new Leeds United contract at the end of last month.
Speaking to MOT Leeds News, Goodman thinks Gnonto believes his current team will be competing in the Premier League next season
The Whites came close to securing a return to the top flight at the first time of asking last term, registering 90 points in total and securing a third-place finish.
Unfortunately for them, they were unable to overtake Ipswich Town in the end, but they had the opportunity to secure a place at the top level via the play-offs.
They started well by sealing a 4-0 win on aggregate in the semis against Norwich City, but their loss against Southampton at Wembley consigned them to another season of Championship football;
With the players they had at their disposal in the English capital, they would have been disappointed not to have come out on top, but they just didn’t perform well enough on the day.
Quite a few key players left during the summer window, with Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter all securing moves away from Elland Road.
However, Daniel Farke was given the funds to make quite a few additions – and that has allowed the Whites to be in a strong position for the remainder of the campaign.
The West Yorkshire side have made a fairly mixed start to the season, but they remain in the promotion mix at this stage and would have taken confidence from last weekend’s away win at Cardiff City.
They will be hoping to continue putting points on the board – but some of their key players will need to step up consistently if they are to do that – including Gnonto.
The Italian only has one goal to his name in six appearances, but it was a top-quality goal, with his energy and confidence allowing him to drive the ball forward before firing the ball past Portsmouth’s
Don Goodman on why Willy Gnonto may have signed Leeds United extension
If Gnonto is to secure a move to a top-tier team anytime soon, he may need to improve on his goalscoring record, despite impressing last term.
However, Goodman thinks Gnonto is confident of Leeds being promoted at the end of this term and returning to the top level without sealing a move away from West Yorkshire.
Speaking to MOT Leeds News, the Sky Sports pundit said: “He wants to play at the highest level possible, which is the Premier League.
“The fact he’s signed a new contract makes me believe, that he believes, Leeds will be a Premier League team this time next season.”
Daniel Farke deserves praise for Willy Gnonto stance at Leeds United
When Gnonto was seemingly pushing for a move away from Elland Road last year, Farke could have kept the Italian out of the first time for quite some time.
But this situation was resolved fairly quickly and Farke has to take some credit for that.
The fact the situation was resolved fairly quickly probably helped Gnonto to perform better during the second half of the season, because the situation didn’t seem to leave too many scars.
Farke also had Leeds performing at a high level last term and that’s potentially another reason why the winger has signed a new deal.
The fact he has put pen to paper on a new deal is a real positive for the Whites.
