Facundo Buonanotte is one of two Leicester City loan signings for this Premier League season. The Foxes signed him from Brighton and Hove Albion on a one-year loan deal, with no buy-option clause reported.
The 19-year-old is versatile, capable of playing in attacking midfield or out on the wings. A Rosario Central academy graduate, Buonanotte signed for Brighton in January 2023. The Argentine has made 40 league appearances for the Seagulls, scoring four goals and assisting twice. Buonanotte has international experience despite being a teenager, having played twice for Argentina.
A winger or a box-to-box midfielder?
Buonanotte is an excellent dribbler and possesses a good first touch. Despite starting either as an attacking midfielder or on the wing, the Argentine tends to drop deep. Most of his touches are in the midfield third, with only 6% of his total touches in the opposition penalty box. His stats suit a box-to-box midfielder more than a winger.
When compared to his positional peers, Buonanotte ranks above the 92nd percentile for pass completion (85%), tackles per game (2.72), and blocks per game (1.49). His attacking stats are unimpressive, making him a rough diamond that needs polishing.
Steve Cooper needs to morph Facundo Buonanotte into an attacking threat
Steve Cooper has to morph him into an attacking threat, someone who sits just behind the striker and lurks near the opposition box, creating chances and scoring goals. With Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp playing in a pivot at the base of the midfield, Leicester don’t need an attacking midfielder to drop deep.
There hasn’t been a lot of improvement in his three appearances for Leicester so far. He has had 87 touches, with only two in the penalty box. Incidentally, one of those two touches led to a goal (against Aston Villa). The lack of Buonanotte’s presence in the attacking third shows in Leicester’s struggles to create chances and score goals.
Facundo Bounanotte has immense talent. While he does many things right on the football pitch, his positioning and attacking contribution need work. Given his impressive performances so far, it is exciting to think of how good he will be once he has improved in those aspects.
