Leeds United have a six-point lead over teams in the relegation zone and are growing confident of securing Premier League survival this season.
The Whites have major plans for the summer, and they are putting down ideas to ensure that they further improve the squad ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Leeds are likely to be in the market for a new goalkeeper in the next transfer window, and the club are prepared to make a big move for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.
However, Leeds will also have a decision to make about Facundo Buonanotte, who joined the club on loan from Brighton in the winter transfer window.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke makes his stance on Facundo Buonanotte clear
The forward was poor in the win over Birmingham City in the FA Cup, and has made very little impact in the Premier League since joining the club.
He was not even in the matchday squad against Aston Villa, and Farke’s admission does not bode well if Facundo Buonanotte wants to stay at Leeds for the long term.
The Leeds boss insisted that the Argentinian is still not physically ready and stressed that the winger was brought in to improve squad depth, and not add to the starting eleven.
Farke remained non-committal about whether Leeds will sign the winger, who is likely to cost somewhere around £20m, on a permanent deal.
Speaking about Buonanotte ahead of the Aston Villa game, Farke said: “Of course, if you didn’t play much in the last month, it’s difficult to be at your very best physically. It’s also difficult regarding confidence level and rhythm of the game to be at your very best.
”Sometimes the feeling of excitement is so high, you can rarely stand up to it. We haven’t signed Facundo to improve our starting XI straight away; we signed him to improve depth in our squad.
“We spoke openly about it, because we want to make sure we keep the pressure high on other options – [Noah] Okafor, [Brenden] Aaronson, [Willy] Gnonto and [Daniel] James.
“He hasn’t played for such a long time, so we give him the stage and support, but neither do we expect him to cut the league to pieces.”
When asked about a potential permanent transfer, a non-committal Farke said: “If it works out, great. If not, it’s a loan, so not a big risk.”
He does not have a future at Leeds
Buonanotte has not played in the Premier League much, so his performance against Birmingham City is the only evidence we have of his ability.
The stats from his showing against Birmingham in the FA Cup don’t paint a particularly encouraging picture, and they’re bound to spark renewed debate about Leeds’ recruitment strategy.
The club have tracked the Argentine since last summer, but based on what supporters have seen so far, some are beginning to question what all the hype was about.
| Statistic | Buonanotte |
|---|---|
| Touches | 30 |
| Unsuccessful Touches | 1 |
| Dribbles (Successful) | 3 (0) |
| Possession Lost | 10 |
| Total Carrying Distance | 96.1 m |
| Carries | 6 |
| Progressive Carries | 1 |
| Total Progression | 45.7 m |
| Progressive Carrying Distance | 56.4 m |
| Longest Progressive Carry | 38.9 m |
He failed to score or set one up and was taken off at half-time after an underwhelming first 45 minutes.
In that opening period, Buonanotte managed just 30 touches, surrendered possession 10 times and didn’t complete a single dribble, hardly the impact Leeds would have hoped for.
With the forward not even making the matchday squad against Aston Villa, it is clear to see that Farke may have made up his mind about the player.
The fact nobody comments on low quality journalism from The Leeds Press says so much about it and I need to avoid the temptation of reading this unwanted article.
Buonanotte is a very skillful player who, when fit and firing, will be a great option for us. Why write him off before he’s had a proper chance?
Too many articles of this low quality ilk on The Leeds Press!