Credit: Imago

Daniel Lewis

Sat 14 March 2026 18:10, UK

Fabian Hurzeler admits this will go down as a “wasted season” for Facundo Buonanotte, but the Leeds United loanee ultimately only has himself to blame.

Buonanotte joined Leeds on loan in the winter transfer window but has found appearances hard to come by so far.

The 21-year-old has so far played just three times, each time as a substitute and not at all since the FA Cup tie with Birmingham City a month ago.

It is becoming increasingly clear Buonanotte will not be joining Leeds permanently, but things could have turned out a whole lot different.

Facundo Buonanotte made big mistake last summer

Brighton boss Hurzeler made the admission about Buonanotte in his weekly press conference on Friday and he is not exactly wrong.

“Wasted season. I think it’s a little bit tough to say,” Hurzeler told reporters. “I think every experience for players is important, no matter if they play or not.

“Of course, if you give a player a loan, it’s always helpful that they play, but in the end we can’t make the decision.

“It’s the other clubs who will make the decision and therefore the coach, Daniel Farke, will have a reason why he’s not playing, and then it’s about the player to understand what he needs to improve to get into the team.”

Prior to his struggles at Elland Road, the two-cap Argentina international also struggled for minutes on loan at Chelsea.

Indeed, Buonanotte elected for a move to Stamford Bridge instead of Leeds last summer and that decision, when his stock was higher, has backfired.

There is no way of knowing for definite, but had Buonanotte instead moved to West Yorkshire in the summer, he may well have slotted straight into Farke’s starting XI.

As it is, he is now in a position where he cannot even get any minutes in an FA Cup tie against Norwich City.

Buonanotte’s move to Leeds has raised more than a few eyebrows, with this surely set to go down as one of the most forgettable spells ever.

All hope may not yet be lost for Buonanotte

Hurzeler did go on to add that it is now on Buonanotte to fight for his spot by showing Farke what he can do.

However, given he is not getting any minutes at all, the attacker will have to do that on the Thorp Arch training ground.

There are still nine Premier League games to play, plus at least one more FA Cup tie, which could give Buonanotte a chance to make his mark.

But it will take something rather extraordinary for Leeds to even consider lodging a bid to sign Buonanotte permanently in the summer.