Good Morning. It's Thursday 18th December, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Leeds ready to listen to offers for Gnonto
Leeds United are reportedly prepared to entertain offers for Italian international winger Willy Gnonto during the upcoming January transfer window, a decision heavily influenced by the club's need to navigate the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). This potential sale aligns with a previously established contingency plan; during the summer, it was widely reported that both Gnonto and defender Pascal Struijk had been identified as the club's primary assets for generating pure accounting profit, should the need arise.
The dynamics, however, have shifted since Daniel Farke recently switched to a back-five defensive system, elevating the importance of an experienced, left-footed central defender. This development has effectively ruled out a sale for Struijk, who joined from Ajax as a youth player in 2018. His current value to the starting eleven is now considered too great to sacrifice, placing a greater emphasis on the possibility of Gnonto's departure to balance the books.
The potential fee for Gnonto would, of course, be significantly higher than the £3.8m Leeds paid to secure him from FC Zurich on a frantic summer deadline day in 2022. That window was famously chaotic for the Elland Road outfit, who missed out on a host of high-profile targets, including Cody Gakpo and Bamba Dieng, for whom planes were famously readied at the airport, before pivoting to secure the then-18-year-old Italian sensation. This last-minute scramble, however, came at a significant long-term cost. Originally slated to join the following January, Leeds were forced to bring the deal forward and, in doing so, were compelled to agree to a substantial sell-on clause believed to be as high as 40% of any future profit.
This caveat was highlighted at the time by Kay Voser, a former player turned journalist for FC Zurich, who exclusively told the Breakfast Debate that the Swiss club's president had himself described the negotiated sell-on clause as "extraordinarily high." This means that while Leeds could command a hefty fee for the talented winger, a sizable portion of the profit would be redirected back to Zurich, somewhat diminishing the overall financial benefit to the club. Therefore, any decision to sell Willy Gnonto is a complex calculation: balancing the immediate need for PSR compliance against the long-term loss of a exciting talent and the somewhat diluted financial return due to that expensive, but necessary, piece of deadline day business.
Leeds could look to offload future prospects Matteo Joseph and Largie Ramazani, but both have been struggling for form this season away from Elland Road, and would therefor not command the kind of fees Leeds would need to make a sale worthwhile. As a result, Leeds must at the very least embrace the loan market aggressively, and utilise both available slots. Leeds are one of only a few top-flight clubs not to bring in loan reinforcements so far. While the focus turns to survival on and off the pitch, the potential departure of Willy Gnonto symbolises the harsh realities of modern football finance: even the most promising talents can become collateral in the pursuit of sustainability.
New Year deal for Harry Wilson ruled out
The prospect of a move for Harry Wilson appears dead and buried two weeks before the January window opens. Fulham will retain his services, even if it means losing him in the summer on a free transfer. Only four points separate the two teams, so letting one of their best players leave to join a direct rival would be football suicide!!! He has been a vital cog in Marco Silva’s attack, emerging as the club's leading scorer with five goals and adding a further three assists. His 'WhoScored' rating of 6.93 places him among Fulham’s most influential performers this season; his creativity and goal threat have become the heartbeat of their side. To sell a player of such current importance, and to a team they may need to finish above, is simply unthinkable for the West London club.
Leeds had made a late push for the Welsh international on transfer deadline day last summer, going so far as to submit a formal deal sheet, to extend the negotiation window in the hopes of orchestrating a move after the 11 pm cut-off. Despite Fulham bringing in late reinforcements, signings that threatened to relegate Wilson to the bench, the Cottagers stood firm, and its paid dividends for the West London outfit. The opportunity to link up with the Leeds Utd Welsh contingent including Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Dan James, Charlie Crew and Karl Darlow appealed to Wilson, who was keen on the move, but without the consent of his parent club, a January move to Elland Road can be all but ruled out.
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