Leeds United
Daniel Farke's men were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Brentford (Credit: Imago)
Leeds United are preparing to travel to the capital to take on West Ham in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at the London Stadium on Sunday.
The Whites have reached the last eight of the competition for the first time in more than 20 years. However, that is unlikely to shift the goals for the season.
Most Read on The Leeds Press
Leeds are still focused on securing Premier League safety, and Daniel Farke is almost certain to field a more rotated team with certain squad players getting an opportunity to start.
However, the West Ham game could also be the final indication for the future of a Leeds man and whether there is any chance of him staying at Elland Road.
Facundo Buonanotte is finished at Leeds if he doesn’t get minutes on Sunday
Leeds signed Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton in the winter transfer window. However, fans are wondering why he was signed in the middle of the season.
The Argentinian has not played in the Premier League since the end of January, and has made the matchday squad just once in the last eight league games.
He has played more minutes in the FA Cup, but even then, he was an unused substitute in the 3-0 win over Norwich City in the previous round.
Buonanotte is expected to be at least in the squad to face West Ham on Sunday, but whether he gets minutes will say a lot about his standing at Elland Road.
If Daniel Farke decides against playing him again at the London Stadium, it may be the final time we see him in a Leeds matchday squad this season.
This will be his final chance to show Farke that he deserves a few more opportunities before the end of the campaign.
However, it could also be the final nail in the coffin of a baffling deal that has served no purpose for anyone.
Leeds are unlikely to sign him
Back in January, there was plenty of talk that Leeds might look to make the winger’s loan move permanent.
Brighton are believed to want around £20m to sell Facundo Buonanotte this summer, but right now that kind of deal looks unlikely.
Leeds should have funds available if their Premier League status is secured, yet it is difficult to see them spending that much on Buonanotte when the transfer window opens.
Since arriving, he has struggled to feature regularly in matchday squads, which suggests Farke has not been entirely convinced by what he has seen from the Argentine in training.
At this point, it seems far more likely that Buonanotte will head back to Brighton when his loan spell at Elland Road ends this summer.