Leeds United splashed out over £100m to sign 10 new players during the summer transfer window, but their recruitment drive also featured a few notable high-profile misses.
Daniel Farke has done a good job of recovering from a poor spell this season to lift Leeds out of the relegation zone. However, the manager was left underwhelmed by the recruitment in the summer.
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The Leeds boss wanted to add two more attackers towards the end of the summer transfer window. However, the club maxed out their PSR spending and missed out on a couple of key targets.
Their inability to sign Harry Wilson from Fulham on deadline day grabbed headlines, but Leeds also missed out on a few more players whom they were confident of signing until the deal fell through.
Facundo Buonanotte finally shines for Chelsea after rejecting Leeds United
Leeds had a deal in place to sign Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton towards the end of the summer transfer window. The club even had a private flight ready to take him to Yorkshire.
However, Chelsea barged into the negotiations at the last moment and turned the player’s head, who made it clear that he wanted to move to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues completed the deal to sign him on loan while Leeds were left scrambling for options in the final days of the summer transfer window.
However, the Argentinian has been a peripheral figure at Chelsea and has played just 449 minutes of football across 10 appearances in all competitions.
He finally made an impression in the Chelsea shirt when he registered an assist in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Cardiff City in the EFL Cup.
Buonanotte previously scored in the competition against Lincoln City, but so far, his Chelsea career has failed to take off.
He made a huge mistake in the summer
Leeds were more than keen to sign Buonanotte last summer. Daniel Farke saw him as a player who could get straight into his team’s starting eleven.
However, Chelsea outsmarted Leeds and convinced the player to opt for a move to Stamford Bridge instead of going to Elland Road in the summer window.
Leeds have moved on, but it is hard to see how the Argentinian’s career has progressed by joining Chelsea in the last transfer window.
He has made just one league appearance in a Chelsea shirt and has not even been part of their Premier League matchday squads since October.
The Argentinian has made two starts in the Champions League, but has done very little to warrant more opportunities. He is just not playing regular football at Chelsea.
He probably would have been an important member of the Leeds squad, and in the 5-3-2 forward, Buonanotte could have played as the second striker or the attacking midfielder.
However, he chose Chelsea and has been reduced to playing in cup competitions while not even getting a proper opportunity in the Premier League.