Facundo Buonanotte joined Leeds United on loan from Brighton in the winter transfer window. However, the move has turned out to be an unmitigated disaster.
There was an expectation that the attacking midfielder would do enough to join Leeds on a permanent deal. But he has done little to convince Daniel Farke and the rest of the Leeds hierarchy.
Buonanotte has not played a league game since the end of January and has made the bench in the Premier League just four times since his last appearance.
He won’t be involved against his parent club, Brighton, this weekend and is almost certain to move on from Elland Road when the loan agreement expires at the end of the season.
Brighton boss reveals his thoughts on Facundo Buonanotte and his struggles at Leeds
Fabian Hurzeler and Brighton will have a decision to make when Buonanotte returns to the Amex Stadium in the summer, as Leeds will not sign him.
The Brighton boss has conceded that he is unsure what has gone wrong for the attacking midfielder at Leeds and how he has struggled to cope with it at Elland Road.
Hurzeler admitted that he will hold talks with Brighton’s loans manager and understand the situation. However, he conceded that it is hard to judge from the outside at the moment.
“That’s a good question”, he told the Sussex World when asked why it went wrong for Buonanotte at Leeds.
“I’m not there, I’m not in his head, I’m not knowing exactly the processes that are going on, of course.
“I’m trying to be in touch with our loan managers and trying to understand the situation from the individual players, but it’s always quite difficult to judge things from outside and to judge things from this end.”
Leeds still need an attacking midfielder
If Facundo Buonanotte had really impressed during his time at Leeds, the club would probably have explored the possibility of signing him permanently from Brighton. As things stand, though, that now looks unlikely to happen.
Even so, Leeds are still expected to target an attacking midfielder this summer, with Daniel Farke keen to add more creativity to his squad.
Gustavo Hamer has been linked with a move to Elland Road, and Chris Wilder has hinted that the midfielder could leave Sheffield United this summer.
Hamer could also prove to be a cheaper option than Buonanotte because of his contract situation and Sheffield United’s need to rebuild parts of their squad.
That said, Buonanotte would likely have remained Leeds’ first-choice option had his spell at the club gone more smoothly, especially given their long-standing interest in him dating back to last year.
