Pundit's Wilfried Gnonto Leeds United scepticism amid 'lucky escape' transfer claim

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has questioned whether Everton may have had a 'lucky escape' in failing to get a deal over the line for Wilfried Gnonto last summer. The Toffees are thought to have seen a series of bids rejected for Gnonto at the start of the season with Leeds holding firm in their stance that the Italy international would not be sold.

Such interest saw Gnonto refuse to play briefly in an attempt for force a move through, but he returned to the side after issuing an apology to Daniel Farke for his actions. Half a season on, it seems as though Gnonto is attracting interest from the Premier League once more with West Ham United said to be considering a move for the teenager this month.

It comes during what has been a difficult season for Gnonto so far. The attacker has made 21 appearances for the Whites this season but a large majority of those outings have come off the bench after failing to nail down a starting spot. His only goal came in the win over Ipswich Town back in August, while he has registered just one assist, too.

When he's fit and firing on all cylinders, Gnonto is clearly a force to be reckoned with, as Leeds fans saw when he broke onto the scene last winter, and he clearly has a bright future ahead of him in the game. He hasn't hit such heights since, though, and that's the reason why Goodman remains sceptical.

“It’s a funny one really,” the pundit said, per MOT Leeds News. “It was obviously very unsavoury with the way he handled everything last summer when going on strike. I mean, good grief, that’s the worst.

“That will put other football clubs, other managers, off purchasing you. I understand he’s young and naive, and he was ill-advised by his agent. His agent clearly should not have let that situation unfold.

"Now we find that Willy Gnonto is not a regular starter. He comes off the bench a lot, but he has aspirations of playing at the Euros with Italy in the summer. You can’t do that if you’re not getting game time, especially when you’re not getting game time in the second tier of English football – it’s as simple as that.

“Again, from his personal perspective, he needs to be playing football. But the biggest thing of all is that he hasn’t played well enough to be a regular in the Leeds team.

“So you’ve got to question whether Everton have had a lucky escape by not paying all that money in the summer. Or is it that he’s just not found any rhythm because he’s not been playing regularly?”