Your Willy Needs Love

Degnand Wilfried Gnonto has certainly made an impression at each of his previous clubs in his short footballing career. Once regarded as their brightest young prospect at Inter Milan, Willy Gnonto left the Nerazzurri on the 23rd of April 2020 to seek footballing opportunities elsewhere in his search for first team football. He took the initiative in his career after impressing in the U17’s World Cup for Italy in which he was a key player scoring 3 goals en-route to the quarter final.

He landed a move to FC Zurich and over his tenure provided a goal contribution every 117 mins and scored 11 goals in total. Similarly he was labelled Zurich’s key player in their championship season winning the Swiss Super League. One Zurich fan commented “We rarely see a player with the balance he has, a true low centre of gravity, he’s always in control of his movements, a sensational player’. The Zurich fans had their own dedicated song for Willy Gnonto composed by Albis Ryders...simply called the Willy Gnonto Song. There is a dedicated YouTube video with an animation of Willy dancing to the catchy melody. Go and check it out if you enjoy some light entertainment.

Born to Parents from the Ivory Coast Our No 29 was born and raised in the North of Italy in the small town of Baveno close to Lake Maggiore. ‘My father was a worker and my mother worked as a waitress in a small hotel in Baveno. My parents never made me lack for anything. Many times there was no money to go to Milan for training and my mother relied on tips to pay for the fuel.’ His early years were consistently spent studying and playing football late into the evening. He signed for Leeds United on the 2nd of September 2022 on a five year contract. 20k a week is the approximate wage he was receiving in the Premier League. This has likely been slashed by 60% after relegation (pre new contract). Potentially; he has been receiving a wage of only 8k per week in the Championship. This is too low for a player who was raised in the Inter Milan academy and is a full Italian International. I’m sure we can all relate to that similar feeling of dissatisfaction at a workplace when we know we are underpaid for the talent we possess.

Often we forget that players only have a short shelf life and only a small career window for financial earnings, 15 years on average on a professional wage if they are lucky. It is no surprise that modern day footballers are lured away for the largest reward packages. It’s likely you would too with the rewards that can be on offer. Yes Willy pushed for a move due to a lack of earnings at Leeds United. I do not begrudge him for that, he’s from humble beginnings and also has his parents to provide for. Even now he still lives with his parents in Harrogate. Willy is an educated young man with a love for Latin and language. The equivalent level of talent is surely earning triple Willy's wages and he’ll be fully aware of that.

So what is my point? Why am I sitting in a cafe in the middle of Leeds writing about an Italian footballer I have never met and who is half my age? Yes he plays for our Leeds United but so have many before him and many will after he has moved on. So why do I feel compelled to defend him? Maybe it’s the father figure in me. But I see something special (footballing wise) in this boy, and he is a boy at just 20 years old. This is his third season at Leeds United. He’s been here longer than most of the squad! And he has just signed a new contract that’ll surely keep him here for at least this season. When I watch him play I see a naive and largely immature footballer, he’s a little petulant lets be honest. This isn’t largely surprising given the inconsistent refereeing standards in the Championship. While we have bought many good prospects in the transfer window, I was most overjoyed when the window shut and Willy was still an LUFC player. He was the one above all I wanted to keep. I liked ‘Georginio’ and ‘Cre’, but in reflection ‘Cre’ was too greedy and ‘Georgie’ couldn’t finish a 9 year old’s lego set. Willy's ceiling for improvement is higher than both of theirs combined. ‘You’re crazy Mr Author! A total fruitloop” I hear you cry. Let me assure you my mind is stable. For now.

Inter Milan spotted Willy at the age of 9 and swiftly signed him. Inter Milan! One of the largest clubs in the world. When Zurich signed him it was a shock to the Inter fans who regarded him as their next big up and coming player. The Zurich fans clearly loved him. He scored 8 goals last season and gave 3 assists from only 22 starts with an XG of 0.39 per 90 minutes. He had a shooting accuracy of nearly 60 percent with one goal in every 4 shots. This was all inspite of some fan backlash and hyper criticism due to his early season shenanigans. In the Premier League he scored 4 goals and provided 4 assists from only 28 appearances, many from the bench. And we still have him! In the Championship! He can play all across the frontline including striker, can finish and shoot with both feet and he has the vision and passing accuracy to be an impactful number 10. This is the position the Italian u21’s deploy him... He is also captain of the U21’s at national level. Trust me we have a special player.

This season I want to appreciate Willy, we all should. We all need to be present in the now and enjoy watching our players prove to us that they are too talented for this level of football. Jesse Marsch arguably had Willy Gnonto playing his best football and I believe this is because Willy is a player who needs love. Marsch was not a great coach for Leeds but his loving approach to the players brought the best out of Willy. If our fans love Willy (pause) and support him, he will be Leeds’ key player this season no matter what position he plays. If he can reach even just 75% of his potential he will be the best player in the Championship. And he’s ours for the season! Enjoy him. Love him. Sing for him.