Facundo Buonanotte to leave Chelsea for Leeds just days after what Liam Rosenior told him
Facundo Buonanotte is on the verge of joining Leeds on loan.
Leeds were linked with signing Buonanotte on loan from Brighton in the summer, but Chelsea swooped in and landed him on a temporary deal themselves.
However, after hardly featuring during the first half of the campaign, Buonanotte is set to join Leeds for the rest of the season.
The Argentine winger was impressive on loan at Leicester last season, and he will now undergo a medical with the Elland Road outfit in the coming days.
Although new Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior is in charge of a huge squad, his promise of game time to the 21-year-old certainly didn’t pan out to be true.
Liam Rosenior told Facundo Buonanotte he trusted him days before Chelsea exit
Buonanotte started in the 5-1 FA Cup third-round win over Charlton on Saturday, and there was no warning that he was going to be recalled by Brighton.
On 13 January, journalist Simon Phillips claimed on his Substack that Rosenior had made an effort to speak with Buonanotte to convince him that he has faith in him.
He said: “SPTC Sources have heard that Rosenior has spoken to every player in his group and told them that he trusts them, including Buonanotte, whom he handed a start to in his first game, proving that he trusts him.”
| Team | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Rosario Central (2022 | 34 | 4 | 2 |
| Brighton (2022-24) | 50 | 5 | 2 |
| Leicester City (2024-25) | 35 | 6 | 3 |
| Chelsea (2025-26) | 8 | 1 | 2 |
Given the fact that just days later he has been recalled by Brighton and is on his way to LS11, this feels like a completely hollow message.
The Argentine featured in just one Premier League match under Enzo Maresca, scoring his only goal for the Blues in a Carabao Cup win over Lincoln City in September.
Daniel Farke will be thrilled to finally get his man, especially after a flight was booked for Buonanotte to move to Leeds in the summer before the move fell through.
That is in the past, and fans will be thrilled that Paraag Marathe looks set to secure his first signing of the January transfer window.
Buonanotte could make up for the failure to sign Harry Wilson in the summer
Leeds have been on the hunt for a creative midfielder that can also play out wide since the summer transfer window.
Fulham star Harry Wilson looked set to join Leeds, although the move fell through on deadline day.
He has since gone on to become one of the players of the season, and the Whites will look back on it as a huge opportunity missed.
Although Buonanotte hasn’t achieved success similar to Wilson, he hasn’t necessarily been given the same opportunities.
To get nine goal contributions in a woeful Leicester team last season is very impressive, and there’s no reason why he can’t emulate those numbers in a Leeds side that has scored in 10 of their last 11 top-flight matches.
He has the guile and technical ability to thrive in multiple positions, and it’ll be interesting to see where exactly Farke uses him.
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