{"id":303597,"date":"2025-07-30T09:48:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T09:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/303597\/"},"modified":"2025-07-30T09:48:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T09:48:13","slug":"the-leeds-united-star-that-is-about-to-prove-jesse-marsch-completely-wrong-this-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/303597\/","title":{"rendered":"The Leeds United star that is about to prove Jesse Marsch completely wrong this season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When a certain dynamic attacker first arrived at Elland Road, the consensus from manager at the time Jesse Marsch, was that he wasn\u2019t quite \u201cPremier League ready.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n

Leeds are facing a tough but exciting return to the Premier League, with their survival chances already being rated by Simon Jordan<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Daniel Farke\u2019s preparations are well underway with him apparently taking inspiration from Marcelo Bielsa ahead of the 2025\/26 Premier League campaign<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The journey since then has been far from straightforward, featuring a rapid ascent, a challenging blip, and ultimately, a powerful resurgence. <\/p>\n

Now, as Leeds United prepare for a highly anticipated season back in the top flight, this particular player stands on the cusp of truly silencing those doubts and proving his readiness on the biggest stage.<\/p>\n

\"LeedsPhoto by Harriet Lander\/Getty ImagesFrom Deadline Day doubt to momentous impact<\/p>\n

Wilfried Gnonto arrived as an 18-year-old on deadline day at the start of September (2022\/23), having been written off, even before he\u2019d moved from Swiss side Zurich, by Leeds\u2019 head coach at the time Jesse Marsch<\/a> as a long-term project. <\/p>\n

Asked in the August if Gnonto was Premier League-ready, the Athletic<\/a> reported the American said, \u201cNo, but we know who he is. With him, it\u2019d be more of a long-term project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gnonto recently said: \u201cI saw Jesse\u2019s words. I always thought I could make an impact in the Premier League. Maybe I was a bit young and I didn\u2019t really understand what was going on, but at that point, I felt like I could play there, and I proved to myself I could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to be back. I probably have something else to prove because I want to prove myself again, that I can be there. I know I can be there and I want to show everyone. It\u2019s going to be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite Marsch\u2019s lack of faith, Gnonto quickly became a key figure for Leeds. After November that season, he started 14 out of 15 games across all competitions through February, showcasing his talent. <\/p>\n

During this impressive run, he scored four goals in just seven appearances, famously including a first-minute strike against rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n

Now, three seasons later, a still-only 21-year-old Gnonto is poised to be a crucial difference-maker as Leeds United embark on their return to the Premier League.<\/p>\n

\"LeedsPhoto by Robbie Jay Barratt \u2013 AMA\/Getty ImagesWilfried Gnonto\u2019s continued upward trajectory<\/p>\n

Since Jesse Marsch\u2019s departure, Wilfried Gnonto has largely continued his upward trajectory at Leeds United, showcasing impressive development. <\/p>\n

While there was a notable blip in the summer of 2023 when he attempted to force a move away from the club amid Premier League interest, including from Everton, Gnonto ultimately stayed at Elland Road<\/a>. He later apologised for his actions and has since built on his performances.<\/p>\n\nContributions<\/strong><\/td>\nStatistic<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nAppearances<\/td>\n118<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nGoals<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nAssists<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Wilfried Gnonto\u2019s all time Leeds United statistics, via transfermarkt<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In the 2023\/2024 Championship season, Gnonto made 36 appearances, scoring 8 goals and providing 2 assists. He continued to be a significant player in the 2024\/2025 Championship<\/a> season as well, achieving 9 goals and 6 assists in 43 appearances. <\/p>\n

Gnonto \u2018dazzled\u2019 during Leeds\u2019 pre-season Manchester United<\/a> friendly, but there was one Gnonto incident that left Daniel Farke in despair<\/a> during their time in Germany. <\/p>\n

Overall, his consistent output, especially after overcoming the transfer saga, highlights his commitment and continued growth as a key player for Leeds.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When a certain dynamic attacker first arrived at Elland Road, the consensus from manager at the time Jesse…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":303598,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8814],"tags":[748,393,4884,104391,1860,16,15,4515],"class_list":{"0":"post-303597","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leeds","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-jesse-marsch","12":"tag-leeds","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-willy-gnonto"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114941559143031970","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}