Much of last summer was spent debating who would be coming and going from Leeds United.
Following relegation from the Premier League, the club went through wholesale changes from top to bottom, which started with 49ers Enterprises securing full ownership of the club.
After Daniel Farke’s appointment followed soon after, the focus then switched towards a overhaul of the squad, which saw several members of the first team leave either on loan or permanently.
However, 49ers made it clear there were a select few they wanted to build a team around and while in the case of the likes of Tyler Adams and Jack Harrison it did not materialise, they did manage to keep others.
Of the players attracting big money interest, Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto were all kept by Leeds, and that has helped lay the foundations of the promotion push.
In the case of Gnonto, Leeds had to really stand their ground, as the 20-year-old was looking to force through an exit amid interest from Premier League side Everton.
Dorigo predicted 20-year-old would have ‘real importance’ at Leeds, now he finally is
Writing in a column for the Yorkshire Evening Post back in June, former Leeds defender Tony Dorigo claimed Gnonto would be a player he’d hand ‘real importance’ to this season.
Dorigo was comparing him to Rodrigo, who had been one of the only players from last year to come out with any credit due to his goal return and effort levels.
However, he said that he would much prefer to keep Gnonto over Rodrigo, as he had shown more than enough evidence in the Premier League that he could rip up the Championship.
During the first half of the season, Gnonto really struggled for starts due to the form of Summerville and Dan James, but an injury to the latter has seen him pounce on his chance with six goals in nine league starts. Dorigo’s prediction has finally been proven right.
He said: “Of the two I think Gnonto would be the one you’re looking to keep and give real importance next season. The last part of the campaign was a strange one for him, it looked as if something had gone on.
“Because on the pitch he didn’t at all look like he did earlier on, midseason, when things weren’t going great for the team but he was the one making magic happen and standing out. We didn’t quite see that in the last month or two.”
Gnonto could come full circle and sign Leeds deal
It is fair to say that in the summer a new contract looked a real long way off for Gnonto at Leeds, but that could be what is about to happen.
It was reported back in January that a deal was close to being agreed between the two parties, though it has since gone quiet and nothing has been signed.
However, LeedsUnited.News spoke to transfer expert Graeme Bailey last week, who said a new deal is still likely with terms having ‘virtually’ been agreed.
A long-term contract alongside helping Leeds bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt would surely be his road to redemption at Elland Road fully complete.