There was a lot of confusion when Chelsea signed Facundo Buonanotte from Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day.
Buonanotte arrived at Stamford Bridge on loan and the Blues have no option to sign him permanently.
Having barely featured since joining Chelsea, the attacking midfielder’s arrival now looks even more strange.
Buonanotte has made just one appearance in the Premier League this season and has been left out of the matchday squad for the Leeds United game.
Faunco Buonanotte before Chelsea against Brentford in the Premier League.
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
CONFIRMED Chelsea XI to face Leeds
Robert Sanchez
Trevoh Chalobah
Tosin Adarabioyo
Benoit Badiashile
Marc Cucurella
Andrey Santos
Enzo Fernandez
Estevao Willian
Joao Pedro
Jamie Gittens
Liam Delap
Subs: Filip Jorgensen, Josh Acheampong, Malo Gusto, Reece James, Jorrel Hato, Cole Palmer, Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto, Marc Guiu
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Chelsea insiders confident Facundo Buonanotte still has part to play
On the outside, things are not looking good for Buonanotte, but there seems to be a different view from within Chelsea.
According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea insiders believe Buonanotte will still contribute in the hectic winter period as games come thick and fast.
Buonanotte did play in Chelsea’s 4-3 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup at the end of October, but he failed to make much of an impact.
Breaking into Enzo Maresca’s starting XI will be tough, especially with Cole Palmer back from injury.
Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian have all played in the No.10 position this season. Clearly, Maresca prefers all four of those players over Buonanotte.
Facundo Buonanotte of Chelsea reacts during the UEFA Champions League match between Qarabag FK and Chelsea FC
Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Who Chelsea could replace Facundo Buonanotte with next summer
While Fernandez, Pedro and Estevao can all play behind the striker, Palmer is probably the only natural No.10 out of the quartet. It is why the club signed Buonanotte in the first place and why they are likely to replace him when he returns to Brighton at the end of the season, which you would now expect to happen.
Chelsea are interested in Kenan Yildiz, so the Juventus star is one name that they could target. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, though, no longer appears to be an option for them.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Chelsea have ended their interest in Rogers, who recently signed a new contract at Villa Park.