Wilfried Gnonto left Leeds United to return home to Italy late in the summer. Despite signs of promise at Fiorentina, things don’t appear to be going in the right direction.
The winger had slowly fallen short of game time at Elland Road. He played 23 times in the 2025/26 campaign but featured for a little over 500 minutes in the Premier League.
This shortage of game time has also led to him falling out of favour with the Italian national team. When he initially joined Leeds United, the attacker had earned a call-up to the Azzurri but that possibility appears far-fetched now.
He would have hoped to change things in Florence, however, that hasn’t exactly happened yet.
Player struggling to change perception
FirenzeViola note that while manager Paolo Vanoli has been backing Gnonto, things are looking difficult for him in Florence.
The Italian is yet to prove his worth. More than that, he came to the club with a negative perception around him. Fans believe he isn’t a ‘top player’ and had expected a bigger name. Unfortunately, Gnonto has not managed to change that perception yet.
Besides, Fiorentina’s option to buy stands at €15m. This is seen as a significant fee and Gnonto has a long way to go to prove himself worthy of that figure.
While he has played seven times in Serie A, he has made just one start. That came in early October and he has had to come off the bench since.
Vanoli has backed him to succeed but also knows that Alieu Njie offers more on the ball than the Leeds United loanee. Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono has impressed on the right, which hasn’t helped the 22-year-old either.
Transfer choice not paying off
Clearly, Wilfried Gnonto isn’t the first-choice in Florence. La Viola are also not playing in Europe, which will end up impacting how much he plays in the remainder of the campaign.
This suggests he should have joined a club where he would’ve been an undisputed first-choice. Fiorentina spent significantly in the summer and Gnonto was signed quite late in the window. That should’ve been seen as a sign that he wasn’t going to be a regular and this has turned out to be true.
Leeds United’s loan results over past 5 years
LEEDS UNITED’S OUTGOING LOANS
Past five years · Which became permanent?
52 players identified ·
9 permanent moves to a loan club ·
17.3% conversion rate
LOANS FOLLOWED BY A PERMANENT MOVE
| Player |
Loan club joined permanently |
Permanent move |
| Alfie McCalmont |
Carlisle United |
June 2023 · Transfer |
| Luis Sinisterra |
Bournemouth |
February 2024 · Transfer |
| Robin Koch |
Eintracht Frankfurt |
Summer 2024 · Free transfer |
| Luke Ayling |
Middlesbrough |
Summer 2024 · Free transfer |
| Marc Roca |
Real Betis |
June 2024 · Transfer |
| Sonny Perkins |
Leyton Orient |
January 2025 · Transfer |
| Rasmus Kristensen |
Eintracht Frankfurt |
2025 · Permanent deal agreed in April |
| Cian Coleman |
Buxton |
Summer 2025 · Free transfer |
| Joe Gelhardt |
Hull City |
August 2026 · Transfer |
OTHER PLAYERS LOANED OUT
| Player |
Loan destination(s) within the period |
| Brenden Aaronson |
Union Berlin |
| Lewis Bate |
Oxford United; MK Dons |
| Coban Bird |
Emley; Hebburn Town |
| Mateusz Bogusz |
Ibiza |
| Sebastiaan Bornauw |
Hamburger SV |
| Devon Brockie |
Cleethorpes Town |
| Sam Chambers |
Northampton Town |
| Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen |
Inverness Caledonian Thistle |
| Cian Coleman |
See permanent moves above |
| Hélder Costa |
Al-Ittihad |
| Charlie Cresswell |
Millwall |
| Charlie Crew |
Doncaster Rovers; Walsall |
| Connor Douglas |
Buxton |
| Cody Drameh |
Cardiff City; Luton Town; Birmingham City |
| Ryan Edmondson |
Port Vale |
| Connor Ferguson |
Farsley Celtic |
| Josh Galloway |
FC United of Manchester |
| Wilfried Gnonto |
Fiorentina |
| Harry Gray |
Rotherham United; Sheffield Wednesday |
| Sam Greenwood |
Middlesbrough; Preston North End |
| Darko Gyabi |
Plymouth Argyle |
| Jack Harrison |
Everton; Fiorentina |
| Leo Hjelde |
Rotherham United |
| Daniel James |
Fulham |
| Jack Jenkins |
Salford City; Scunthorpe United |
| Mateo Joseph |
Mallorca |
| Bobby Kamwa |
Dunfermline Athletic |
| Diego Llorente |
Roma |
| Reuben Lopata-White |
Greenock Morton; Altrincham |
| Rory Mahady |
Scunthorpe United |
| Luke Matykiewicz |
Ilkeston Town; Emley |
| Stuart McKinstry |
Motherwell |
| Darryl Ombang |
Ossett United; Farsley Celtic; Hartlepool United; Darlington; FC United of Manchester |
| Lucas Perri |
Torino |
| Joël Piroe |
West Ham United |
| Ian Poveda |
Blackpool; Sheffield Wednesday |
| Largie Ramazani* |
Valencia; Burnley — future purchase obligation |
| Jacob Render |
Darlington |
| Joe Richards |
South Shields |
| Tyler Roberts |
Queens Park Rangers |
| Isaac Schmidt |
Werder Bremen |
| Jamie Shackleton |
Millwall |
| Luca Thomas |
York City; FC Halifax Town |
| Maximilian Wöber |
Borussia Mönchengladbach; Werder Bremen |
Period: Loan moves beginning between 2 November 2021 and 2 November 2026. Includes first-team and academy players loaned into senior football. Repeat loans count as one player.
Permanent conversion: A subsequent permanent move to a club where the player was on loan during the period. Includes free transfers after contract expiry. A later sale to a different club does not count.
Breakdown: Six transfers plus three free transfers: Koch, Ayling and Coleman.
*Ramazani: Burnley announced an obligation to make his loan permanent in summer 2027. This is excluded from the nine completed moves. Other current loans remain unresolved.
Sources:
Leeds United transfer records,
Gelhardt,
Kristensen,
Buxton and
Burnley.
Updated: 2 November 2026.
SPORT WITNESS
