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Leeds to discipline major player after he refuses to travel for Birmingham fixture

Originally posted on Caught Offside | By Jason Pettigrove | Last updated 8/11/23

If Daniel Farke and Leeds United’s owners, 49ers Enterprises, thought things weren’t going to plan at the start of their Championship season, they’ve just got a whole lot worse.

Farke will have surely been pleased with his team’s response against Cardiff City in their first Championship match of the season, though the worry for the German may have been the ease with which they conceded in the first place.

Their second game of the season sees Leeds travel to Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon, but the Elland Road outfit will be without one major player.

? GNONTO NOT FOR SALE

Leeds United issue statement saying they will not sell Willy Gnonto.

The Italy international refuses to travel to Birmingham City.

Club to discipline the 19-year-old attacker.#LUFC #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/BKUW9vsKzM

— BBC Sport West Yorkshire (@BBCWYS) August 11, 2023

According to a tweet from BBC Sport, Willy Gnonto has refused to travel with the squad after Leeds made it clear that the 19-year-old wouldn’t be sold this summer.

The Italian has been the subject of rumoured interest from some Premier League clubs, and the player clearly feels that the English top-flight is where he should be plying his trade rather than in the second tier.

Such an attitude doesn’t bode well for the rest of Gnonto’s season, and he will arguably find it hard to ensure a starting spot in the upcoming games.

Farke has a number of plates to be spinning at this stage, and even though the club have slapped a ‘not for sale’ sign on him, with a few weeks left of the window it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them cash in.

This article first appeared on Caught Offside and was syndicated with permission.

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