Leeds United maintained their place in the top six in the Championship with a comfortable and convincing 3-0 win over Coventry City at Elland Road on Saturday.
The Whites were looking to build on their 2-0 win away at Cardiff City last time out and did exactly that, keeping a fifth clean sheet in seven matches in the division.
Daniel Farke will be hoping that his team can push on and close in on the top two places in the league to avoid the play-offs in their promotion efforts.
The West Yorkshire outfit finished third in the Championship last season, missing out on the top two, and went on to lose 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final.
Their failure to earn promotion to the Premier League left them open to teams from top-flight clubs coming in to take their best players, as Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, Archie Gray, and Glen Kamara all moved on to West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Tottenham Hotspur, and Rennes respectively.
Summerville was a particularly big loss after he won the PFA Championship Player of the Season award for his efforts in the 2023/24 campaign for Leeds.
Crysencio Summerville's form for Leeds
The Dutch forward, who cut in from the left wing, enjoyed a phenomenal campaign in the second tier after the Whites had been relegated from the Premier League.
Summerville stepped up after the likes of Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra left on loan and emerged as the star of the show for Leeds on a weekly basis.
He stepped out of their shadow to rack up 28 goals and assists combined in 41 starts during the regular season in the Championship, as the electric forward showcased his ability to provide regular quality as a scorer and a creator of goals.
Starts
41
Goals
19
Conversion rate
15%
Assists
9
Big chances created
17
Dribbles completed per game
2.3
As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old sensation had reason to be frustrated with his teammates because they did not make the most of the quality opportunities that he created for them.
They only scored nine times from the 17 ‘big chances’ that the former Feyenoord man put on a plate during the season, which suggests that they were wasteful in front of goal as a team.
Whereas, Summerville scored 19 goals from 16.41 xG and this shows that he was a clinical finisher who made the most of the chances that were created for him.
The Dutch star ranked within the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.39), and the top 4% for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.30).
This shows that he was among the best in his position in the Championship at both scoring goals from open play and creating high-quality chances for his teammates.
His move to West Ham was, therefore, a big blow, but it also provided others with an opportunity to step out from his shadow to shine, which is what Wilfried Gnonto is now doing.
Wilfried Gnonto's performance against Coventry
The Italy U21 international was pivotal to Leeds’ success against Coventry with a sublime performance on the right flank for Farke on Saturday.
Gnonto, who was handed a player rating of 8/10 by LeedsLive, scored the opening goal in the game with a terrific finish into the top of the net from Junior Firpo’s pullback. He timed his run into the box to perfection and met the cross brilliantly to beat Ben Wilson.
The former Inter youngster then produced the cross for Joel Piroe’s goal to make it 3-0 to the Whites in the second half, which meant that he ended the match with a direct involvement in two of the club’s three goals.
Shots
2
Goals
1
Big chances created
1
Assists
1
Tackles + interceptions
2
Possession lost
13x
As you can see in the table above, Gnonto offered up an incredibly effective display for Leeds, with one goal from two shots and one assist from one ‘big chance’ created.
He was able to showcase his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals, despite losing possession 13 times, and appears to have stepped out of Summerville’s shadow this season.
Wilfried Gnonto's improved performances
In the 2023/24 campaign, the 20-year-old forward only started 19 of his 36 appearances in the second tier as he failed to nail down a regular starting berth throughout the entire season.
In those 36 outings in the Championship, Gnonto provided the team with eight goals and two assists, just about hitting double figures for goal contributions, and this shows that he was not quite at the same level as Summerville – who was involved in 28.
Now that the Dutchman has moved on from Elland Road, the electric Italian winger has stepped into the spotlight and has been a key player for Farke, starting all seven of the club’s league matches so far.
Appearances
36
7
Key passes per game
0.6
0.7
Big chances created
5
3
Assists
2
1
Touches per game
31.1
49.4
As you can see in the table above, Gnonto has taken more responsibility on the ball in matches for Leeds since Summerville left the club, taking around 18 more touches per game on average.
This has helped to unlock the best of his creative quality after the forward had only managed to create five ‘big chances’ in 36 appearances last season. He has already created three ‘big chances’ for his side this term and is showing that the quality is there for him to be a scorer and a creator for the Whites.
Gnonto has stepped out of Summerville’s shadow and now looks set to be the star of the show for Leeds this season, as he was against Coventry on Saturday, by providing regular goals and assists on the flank as the key man for Farke out wide.
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