To alleviate Dan James’ fears, Leeds United may have recruited an upgrade on Wilfried Gnonto during this transfer window.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Wilfried Gnonto redeemed himself with a spectacular goal that helped Leeds United win 1-0.
- Leeds missed out on a potential upgrade from Burnley, who might have also served as an excellent replacement for the injured Daniel James.
- Gnonto will have to keep proving himself and filling in for James as a result.
Wilfried Gnonto, formerly a wantaway character in the Leeds United camp who even refused to play at one point, redeemed himself last Friday night with a magnificent strike away at Bristol City, helping Daniel Farke’s side win 1-0.
Given a start in the squad because Daniel James was still out with an injury, the explosive Italian attacker made sure he left his mark on proceedings as his team returned to West Yorkshire with all three points in their ongoing quest for automatic promotion glory.
Although he was instrumental in Leeds’ sixth consecutive league win to begin 2024 on Friday, Gnonto’s minutes may have been limited if the Whites had completed this spectacular move with the clock ticking on Deadline Day.
Why did Leeds not sign Manuel Benson?
It’s no secret that Leeds would have liked to raid Burnley further in the summer window, pleased with finally completing a deal for Connor Roberts but disheartened by another Clarets move for Manuel Benson falling through.
Football Insider even stated at one point during the window that the Championship heavyweights were in’very advanced talks’ to sign the explosive Belgian forward, but the deal never materialised despite being agreed upon. As a result, both a move to Leeds and Southampton failed at the last hurdle.
That said, the Whites won’t be too disappointed with Benson staying put given Gnonto’s heroics at Ashton Gate, but the Burnley star could have filled the gap left by James’ absence more effectively as an upgrade on their diminutive number 29 given his previous devastating numbers at Championship level.
Manuel Benson’s Career Statistics
The Belgian winger was instrumental in Burnley’s confident second-tier title win last season, twisting and turning defenders for pleasure alongside Anass Zaroury and Nathan Tella in a mesmerizing Clarets assault.
Last season, under Vincent Kompany, Benson scored 12 goals in 33 Championship games while also providing three assists to his equally talented teammates up front.
Described as a “beautiful” footballer by football journalist Josh Bunting during this amazing individual campaign, the now-out-of-favour Clarets figure could have made Leeds an even more terrifying prospect going ahead, with the greatest potential alternative for James in the treatment room.
James has revived his Leeds career this season after being loaned out to Fulham, scoring ten goals and six assists in 27 appearances before being sidelined by a knock against Norwich City, much to Farke’s dismay.
Gnonto hasn’t reached the great heights that the ex-Manchester United star has this season, and Benson was considerably superior last time at this level to the 20-year-old attacker, who has been mainly dismal away from his Bristol City victory.
Obviously pleased with his match-winning goal at Ashton Gate, there was also a sense that scoring the goal took a weight off his shoulders more than anything else – the 13-time Italy international now has two goals from 25 games this season.
Gnonto will be looking to build on his impressive performance against the Robins, with Farke relying on the 20-year-old to step in and do a job while James is out.
Whereas if Leeds had gone all in and signed Benson to improve on Gnonto and add depth, it may have been the statement addition the Whites needed to show they mean business and secure an automatic promotion spot.
