Chelsea hijack Leeds loan deal for Buonanotte
Saturday, 30th Aug 2025 09:31 by Tim Whelan
On Thursday morning it seemed likely that we would secure a loan deal for Facundo Buonanotte of Brighton and Hove Albion, but late yesterday the Argentinan international decided that he’d rather spend the rest of the season with Chelsea instead.
Leeds had been tracking Buonanotte all summer, believing he is the kind of skilful attacking midfield player that would bring us something we don’t already have, as we try to unlock stubborn Premier League defences. The 20 year-old is left footed but plays either on the right or down the middle.
He spent last season on loan at Leicester and stood out as one of a few bright sparks in a struggling team, contributing five goals and two assists in his 31 Premier League appearances (14 starts). And he also tracked back to do his share of defensive work when needed, which was quite often, with Leicester being overrun in most of their games!
While Brighton wanted to send him out for another loan this season, they wanted him to stay in the Premier League. So Leeds were quite hopeful of getting their man, and had booked a flight to get him up to Thorp Arch, where a medical had been arranged. But when he didn’t get on the plane it was a sure sign that someone else had got to him.
Chelsea are believed to have turned their attention towards Buonanotte once they failed to land RB Leipzig forward Xavi Simons, who will be joining Spurs instead. And the Argentinan succumbed to their advances. But what’s in it for him? If he can’t currently get in the Brighton side, how can he expect to get regular game time at Stamford Bridge?
Presumably he would have been a regular starter for us, but perhaps he didn’t fancy another battle against relegation, having endured a miserable campaign at Leicester last time. So we’re now left to try to find that spark of creativity elsewhere in the short time remaining before the transfer window slams shut.
One name in the frame is El Khannouss of Leicester, and Leeds have also been looking at Strasbourg’s Dilane Bakwa, but he is more of a conventional winger, and we’ve already got plenty of those. One player who is more of a ‘number 10’ is Eduard Spertsyan, who plays for Krasnodar in the Russian league, but who is actually Armenian.
Spertsyan was managed by Daniel Farke during his brief spell in charge of the Russian club in 2022. Whatever target the club’s staff are honing in during the next few days, I hope we have some good news to bring you before the transfer window finally shuts.
_Reuters_
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