Prior to being at FC Zürich, which is where Leeds United bought him from, Wilfried Gnonto was contracted to Inter.
However, his lack of first-team football led him to seek it elsewhere, which is why he headed to Switzerland in 2020.
He found it there, which eventually led him to be picked by Roberto Mancini for the Italy squad, putting him on a platform for others, like Leeds, to see.
The Whites wanted a new forward towards the end of the summer transfer market, and when deals for Bamba Dieng and Cody Gakpo either fell through or ended up being unfeasible, they turned their attention to the young Italian.
They bought him for €4.5m, and while he bided his time to feature under Jesse Marsch, he found his way into the first-team late on before the World Cup break.
His emergence has somewhat annoyed Inter, who are now wary of losing young players like Gnonto on free transfers, and FC Inter News explain there could be a repeat.
Enoch Owusu, described as ‘one of the most promising strikers born in 2005’, remains on a youth deal and ‘still hasn’t agreed on his first pro contract’, which is why he is ‘considering emigrating abroad’ to follow in Gnonto’s footsteps.
The path that led the Italian to Leeds ‘has set the standard’, which is why the ‘drain of talent is no longer such a remote eventuality’.
Perhaps Victor Orta could have a look at Owusu too?
