Player who rejected Leeds United will already regret his decision after brutal call made
Leeds United missed out on multiple marquee signings throughout the transfer window.
The 49ers did spend over the summer, there’s no questioning that, and the key players they recruited for the spine of the team in Lucas Perri, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Anton Stach and Jaka Bijol all look to be solid additions.
The glaring holes that remain in Daniel Farke’s squad are in the attack, particularly up top, on the right wing and someone to provide that spark in midfield.
Facundo Buonanotte would’ve been able to cover these holes are the right wing and as a creative midfielder, as the youngster opted to join Chelsea in a move that looks like it has backfired already.
Facundo Buonanotte snubbed from Champions League squad just days after signing
Leeds were agonisingly close to signing Buonanotte, but a deal ultimately collapsed for the Argentinian.
With Adam Underwood and Co. facing heavy criticism, the window would have looked completely different if they could’ve attracted a player of Buonanotte’s calibre to Elland Road.
And even just a few days after his transfer to Chelsea, Buonanotte must be regretting this decision to move to London instead of West Yorkshire, after it was announced that the youngster had been left out of their Champions League squad.
- Buonanotte has evidently received poor advice from his agent
- The pathway for him to play regular minutes is a lot harder a Chelsea with their abundance of attacking talent compared to Leeds
- On 1 September, Buonanotte talked about his excitement to play in the Champions League in an interview with his new club
- Fast forward two days, and it was announced on 3 September that he was not selected for the squad to play in the European competition
Whilst it may not be as glamorous to play for a side in a relegation battle, it would’ve undoubtedly aided the 20-year-old’s development further, and with his proposed move to Elland Road being a loan, he wouldn’t have had to deal with the consequences if the Whites were relegated.
- READ MORE: Willy Gnonto and a 49ers marquee signing – three biggest winners from Leeds United’s deadline day
How does Facundo Buonanotte compare to Dan James?
James was Leeds’ best player last season but already appears to be out of his depth in the early stages of the new Premier League campaign.
In Buonanotte, Leeds would have been securing a drastic upgrade who also has the flexibility to play in the number ten role.
| Premier League stats | Facundo Buonanotte (2024/25) | Dan James (2022/23) |
| Total minutes played | 1523 | 819 |
| Goals | 5 | 2 |
| Assists | 2 | 1 |
| Shots on target per 90 | 0.71 | 0.44 |
| Shot creating actions per 90 | 3.01 | 1.65 |
| Pass completion | 76.4% | 63.7% |
James’ pace and explosiveness would’ve made him a threat from the bench, but it looks as though Farke may have to rely on the Wales international more than he initially wanted to this season.
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