n a football world filled with countless stars of today, so many of us are curious about who is waiting in the wings. That search for that next wunderkind; a youngster who has the potential to make us stand up and marvel at how they are masters of their craft despite their tender age, is always on the minds of millions of fans around the world.
With this in mind, we at 101 Great Goals continue our weekly series that takes a look at U21 players across the world during the 2022-23 season. Some of them you will have no doubt heard of, while we hope to bring you a few new names to spark your curiosities every now and then.
Name: Degnand Wilfried Gnonto
Age: 19
Position: Forward
Place of Birth: Verbania, Italy
National team caps: 8
Current club: Leeds United
Current Market Value (per Transfermarkt): €10m (~£9m)
Potential suitor(s): N/A
It has been a long time since Yorkshire has been able to speak in jubilation regarding the performances of young players, with the Leeds United faithful having to roll the clock back to the David O’Leary years when the likes of Harry Kewell, Alan Smith, Lee Bowyer, Jonathan Woodgate, Ian Harte, Michel Bridges, and Eirik Bakke helped guide the Whites to a third-place finish during the 1999-2000 campaign as one of the high water marks of the club’s history.
Since then, the club’s fortunes were hit for six after dropping down to the Championship at the end of the 2003-04 season, with a devoted fanbase unable to taste Premier League football for nearly twenty years when, finally, Leeds gained promotion back to the top flight of English football under the guidance of beloved manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Though the club is currently struggling in the league on the back of a five-match winless run while sitting just two points from safety in what is the second season in a row where Elland Road is a focal point of the battle against relegation, director of football Victor Orta and manager Jesse Marsch have assembled another cadre of young talents at this storied English institution. One of those young stars emerging is Wilfried Gnonto.
Just as Jadon Sancho’s success at BVB was the catalyst for more English players moving abroad, have to wonder if Wilfried Gnonto’s breakout campaign at Zurich & subsequent Azzurri call-ups will have a similar effect for youngsters struggling for minutes at Inter, Juve, Milan etc. https://t.co/175abzBqpB pic.twitter.com/73MZDLB03T
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) September 21, 2022
Born in the small Piemonte city of Verbania, Gnonto is one of an immeasurable line of gifted talents that are products of Italian football, but his path to development is one that many from the southern European nation rarely take.
Beginning his footballing journey with local sides Baveno, and Suno, Gnonto got his break as a 10-year-old when he joined Inter Milan’s vaunted academy setup where he would spend eight years receiving vital seasoning while also eventually breaking into the Italian youth international landscape, earning 20 caps between the U16′s and U17′s during his final two years at Inter, scoring 6 goals in the process.
Gnonto then opted to leave Italy early, something that many Italian footballers avoid even in the prime of their careers, to continue his development just over the border in Switzerland with FC Zürich. During his two seasons at Stadion Letzigrund, the diminutive versatile forward continued his progression on the pitch and would eventually hit 8 league goals during FCZ’s title-winning 2021-22 campaign.
Wilfried Gnonto – what a talent! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/iOurX2l7f5
— 90min (@90min_Football) January 13, 2023
Desperate for long-term projects at Elland Road, Orta turned to a £4m deal for the 19-year-old in the wake of him breaking into the full Italian national setup under Roberto Mancini during UEFA Nations League play, but it would not be until the final weekend in October that he would make his debut for the senior side. Since his introduction to senior duties, Gnonto has not looked back and is now viewed as a vital piece of the puzzle under Marsch.
Regardless of his lack of height, Gnonto’s physical presence cannot be understated in his willingness to press relentlessly when Leeds is without possession, boasting an incredible engine in equal measure. In his last four league appearances, Gnonto has been involved in at least 15 duels, winning roughly half of them overall, which plainly shows his capability on the defensive side of the ball.
But his most influential moments certainly come when on the ball. He may not be brilliant when distributing (averaging just 68.6% for passing accuracy according to Wyscout), Gnonto’s desire to take players on and drive forward is one of the key factors in Leeds’ style of play under their American manager, which is also evident in performances from the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Crysencio Summerville, and Raphinha before them.
Averaging 6.94 attempted dribbles/90min, their recent loss against Aston Villa – which was viewed by Marsch as their best performance of the season despite the result – saw Gnonto attempt 15 dribbles while completing 9; a 60% completion rate.
Pure brilliance from Wilfried Gnonto ✨
His stunning outside of the foot volley puts Leeds United in front against Cardiff City ⚪️
Reminiscent of Paolo Di Canio’s strike against Wimbledon all those years ago…
🎥 @itvfootball#LUFC | #LEECAR pic.twitter.com/KjXfRXqqHS
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) January 18, 2023
The one drawback surrounding the Italian international is his lack of goal return across the bulk of his club career, but that, too, is showing signs of progress. A first-half brace against Cardiff City in the FA Cup, including a wonder strike just one minute after kick-off, shows he has a goalscoring instinct that has yet to be fully tapped into. Should Marsch extract greater direct contributions from him as the 2022-23 season progresses, Gnonto could well be viewed as one of the brightest young players in England in short order.
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