Willy Gnonto could be Plan C for West Ham United as late Leeds United exit now on the cards
Leeds United forward Willy Gnonto could emerge as Plan C for West Ham as they look to bring in a new attacker in the January transfer window, according to Dean Jones.
Speaking to GiveMeSport on Wednesday (31 January), the former Eurosport journalist said a deal for the 20-year-old Italian international would “appeal” to the Hammers after deals for Ibrahim Osman and Jota have failed to materialise.
He revealed that he’s been told the Irons “don’t want to panic” in making a forward addition this month, but he added that it’s best to stay “open-minded” about the East Londoners when it comes to the last hours of a window.
“West Ham is an interesting one and they are being offered new opportunities for their attack as deals for Osman and Jota hit the skids,” said Jones. “It’s been a pretty frustrating week because they thought at one stage that both players would end up signing.
“But now they are having to consider the possibility of not signing anyone to bolster their front line. I’m told they don’t want to panic and don’t want to take on a player they didn’t already have on the radar.
“A situation like Gnonto is one that would appeal but, at the moment, it hasn’t progressed. But I always stay open-minded when it comes to West Ham in the last hours of a window.”
Question marks
There are plenty of reasons why a deal for Gnonto would appeal to West Ham, but there are several factors that must be questioned when trying to strike a deal with Leeds.
The Championship side are more than likely looking for a hefty fee to sell the forward, which is one of the biggest reasons why he is currently still at Elland Road.
The Italian has spent the best part of the past few months on the bench, having lost his place in the starting lineup after picking up an ankle injury against Hull City in September.
He undoubtedly has bags of quality and could be a star of the future, but after he refused to play for the West Yorkshire club earlier in the season when he was denied a move, there are huge question marks around his attitude.
It just feels like there are potentially too many obstacles surrounding the deal that would prevent us from making a move, but we really could do with another attacking player through the door before the window slams shut.
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