How Willy Gnonto's estimated salary compares to Dan James at Leeds United | OneFootball

FLW examine the difference in wages between two of Leeds United best wide players.

Leeds United are embarking on their second season back in the Championship after three years of Premier League football, meaning they have plenty of players still at the club from their seasons in the top tier.

The Whites appointed two-time winner of the Championship in Daniel Farke, and he will be hoping his promotion-chasing side can bounce back to the top-flight at the second time of asking.

Naturally, failure to gain promotion via the play-off final last season has meant big-money departures. It was the second squad exodus in as many summers at Leeds, with the likes of Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, and Georginio Rutter all heading to the Premier League for significant sums.

Optimism remains high despite the exits, with the Whites looking to go one better and gain promotion, but there will be real disappointment if the club fail to do so this time around. In part, that is because, on paper at least, it appears as though they have a group of players that will be one of the favourites to go up automatically.

Despite the aforementioned sales being a bitter blow, Leeds were one of the biggest spending sides in the Championship, with many of the players bought for significant fees, namely Joe Rodon, Ramazani, Jayden Bogle, and Tanaka.

That denotes that the wage bill is one of the largest in the division. Naturally, high transfer value aligns with higher salaries as well. There are many players also on Premier League contracts and wages, including the likes of Patrick Bamford, Junior Firpo, and Pascal Struijk among their top earners.

Even if trimming the wage bill through sales and loans of the likes of Diego Llorente, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca, and the like has helped cut costs, Leeds' wage bill is costing them around £708,000 per week, as per Capology's estimates. That is an average weekly wage of 30,783 and an average annual payroll of £36,816,000.

A weekly wage bill of £708,000 puts the Whites as the highest spenders in the Championship and is significantly above every other team in the league. Interestingly, out wide is perhaps one of the main areas of the pitch where Leeds are very strong, and is a part of the squad where plenty of the money goes to in wages.

Last season, Leeds could call upon Dan James, Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto, Jaidon Anthony, Ian Poveda, and Joe Gelhardt in wide areas. Summerville, Anthony, and Poveda have all since departed, with the former leaving huge boots to fill. Leeds have acquired Manor Solomon and Ramazani to help offset those losses, whilst Brenden Aaronson can also be deployed out wide and is an option in the mix again for Leeds this term.

It leaves Leeds arguably having the strongest pool of wide options in the division, with Aaronson and Gelhardt supporting the likes of James, Gnonto, Ramazani, and Solomon. Here we compare two of the key men of both this season and last, with James and Gnonto's Elland Road wages outlined.

Willy Gnonto's weekly wage at Leeds United

Despite the second squad exodus in as many summers at Leeds, with the likes of Summerville and Rutter heading to the Premier League for significant sums, Gnonto, instead, signed a new contract at Leeds that will keep him at the club for the next four years.

Crucially, the deal does not include a release clause. After Leeds were stung by various loan clauses and exit/release clauses in the last few years. They won’t suffer the same way with Gnonto, as it has been announced that he has put pen to paper on an extension, and Fabrizio Romano revealed that it doesn’t contain a release clause.

The supporting cast in Farke's attack is not short of options and quality for the rest of the season, but Gnonto can expect an increased volume of starts as one of the players capable of the required attacking output, be that through moments of individual brilliance to be a match-winner himself or through supplying those around him.

The Italian didn’t quite hit the same heights last year as Rutter or Summerville, but he still contributed eight goals and two assists from 36 regular league appearances, and is a player with as much potential as the former pair. Gnonto, on paper at least, may well be the Whites' best player, let alone their best winger.

His wage should therefore be reflective of that fact, with Gnonto showing signs of stepping up to be the club's main man this term. That was especially true in the 2-2 draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The Italian is now paid a reported £30,000 per week, according to Capology's estimates.

It's likely to be a significant increase on what he initially agreed to after signing for the club from FC Zurich in 2022; however, there are still nine players who earn more than the 21-year-old in the Leeds squad.

Dan James' weekly wage at Leeds United

It’s interesting that Farke boasts arguably two of the best left-wingers in the league in Solomon and Gnonto, and potentially three if you include Ramazani on that side of the pitch, too. In theory, that should allow James to make the right-sided berth his own this season.

Injury has frustrated the Welshman in the opening games of the campaign, but he is starting to build confidence and sharpness the more he plays. The 26-year-old is among the highest-paid players at the club, earning £50,000 per week and £2,600,000 a year, according to Capology's estimations, having signed for the Whites in 2021 from bitter rivals Manchester United.

It's easily forgotten just how much money Leeds spent on James to bring him across from Man United. James was signed in the summer from their great rivals in a deal worth £25 million. It gives them plenty of quality at second-tier level for Farke to choose from and rotate.

Despite their embarrassment of riches last season in wide areas, the German head coach opted to start James plenty of times last term. Leeds competed in 55 games in all competitions, with James involved in 46 of them, starting in 30 of them, even with Gnonto and Summerville present.

He has become a real fan favourite over the last year but also someone who is seemingly appreciated by most managers to have used him at Elland Road, as James was also a regular during Marcelo Bielsa's tenure as well as Farke's. His intensity and work-rate off the ball mean he always has a place in the side in some capacity, especially as Leeds look to enact their counter-press, where high regains have been a key feature of their play under the German's tutelage.

After a stint on loan with Fulham, James' time back in West Yorkshire has been a success, as he has been virtually ever-present for Farke when fit and available, scoring and assisting with much greater frequency in the second tier as a key cog in his attacking unit. However, not many would argue that he is deserving of £20,000 more in weekly wages than Gnonto.