{"id":402970,"date":"2025-09-06T15:34:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T15:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/402970\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T15:34:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T15:34:17","slug":"leeds-united-told-they-could-have-done-more-to-beat-chelsea-to-facundo-buonanotte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/402970\/","title":{"rendered":"Leeds United told they could have done more to beat Chelsea to Facundo Buonanotte"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Leeds United targeted a number of creative players to make a difference to their attack this summer, the 49ers missed out on particular profiles for Daniel Farke.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Previously, Graham Smyth explained ambitious \u2018reach\u2019 signings<\/a>\u00a0were a crucial part of\u00a0the strategy for Leeds United<\/a> this summer, but they failed to land the likes of Igor Paixao and Facundo Buonanotte.<\/p>\n

Paixao chose Marseille over Leeds<\/a>; meanwhile, Buonanotte was loaned to Chelsea instead of Leeds<\/a> just days before the deadline. That left Leeds scrambling, following a failed move to get Harry Wilson on deadline day.<\/p>\n

\n

Farke still hoping for 2 more signings before Monday night. Didn\u2019t comment when asked about Buonanotte.
\u201cThere\u2019s always hope.\u201d when asked about additions before window closes. #LUFC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Pope (@apopey) August 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

View Tweet<\/p>\n

In the end, Leeds came up short in attack. Per BBC Sport\u2019s Adam Pope, Daniel Farke believes survival will be difficult without \u201cone or two\u201d more attackers.<\/p>\n

Graham Smyth questions \u2018naive\u2019 recruitment at Leeds United<\/p>\n

Speaking via The Inside Elland Road Podcast, Graham Smyth explained his thoughts on Buonanotte and Paixao, with many criticising the Leeds hierarchy for a naive approach in the latter stages of the window.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThey acknowledge that it was deflating that they didn\u2019t get the last bit. There\u2019s a little bit of, \u2018well, what could we do about Chelsea coming in for Buonanotte? I mean, in isolation, I\u2019m not seeking to defend anybody here, but why on earth has Buonanotte gone to Chelsea?<\/p>\n

MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, he\u2019s already just just a day or so in. This kind of, oh, at least he\u2019ll be able to play in the Champions League stuff has been shown to be complete nonsense. They haven\u2019t included him in the squad. He\u2019s not going to get minutes. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey signed [Alejandro] Garnacho. They\u2019ve got loads of attackers there. And it\u2019s only a loan. It doesn\u2019t it doesn\u2019t make sense from anyone\u2019s point of view this one to me. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t let Leeds United off the hook at all for what\u2019s going on at the minute. But, in isolation, you just think somebody needed to get in his ear and say, \u2018hang on, just hang on a minute. I know you might not want to be in another relegation battle, but you\u2019re going to play a lot of football. You\u2019ll still be a Brighton player.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not even like he\u2019s gone, you know, and there\u2019s extra wages or something. He\u2019s a loan. He\u2019ll still be getting his Brighton wage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smyth added: \u201cI think though, whilst we can all agree that Buonanotte has done a silly thing, there is \u2014 for me \u2014 still an element of Paixao led you up the garden path and then signed for Marseille as he always hoped and intended to do. <\/p>\n

\u201cBuonanotte has evidently done the same. Now, perhaps, Chelsea have come in late and he never, you know, that wasn\u2019t his intention. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was probably going to move to Leeds but he hasn\u2019t at the end of the day and you haven\u2019t got him. And then Fulham have managed to keep you on the line for [Rodrigo Muniz and Harry Wilson] and wasted quite a lot of the summer and a lot of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen why on earth would they be minded to help you out? Why would they do you a favour? Yeah, I can see why a lot of fans are kind of throwing words like naive around.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause there are situations in which Leeds think that they adapted or moved on from situations pretty quickly. The external view is quite different I think from supporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd supporters will kind of use this inexperience tag when it comes to the the people who\u2019ve been running the recruitment department until such a time as the recruitment either speaks for them or speaks against them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FacundoPhoto by Jon Hobley | MI News\/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesJon Newsome provides potential Facundo Buonanotte reasons<\/p>\n

Former Leeds player Jon Newsome outlined a possible Buonanotte explanation<\/a>. He claims Buonanotte may have chosen Chelsea because his agent may have got more money. Newsome, himself, is an agent.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cLogistics, does he want to move up to Leeds? Can he still stay with his family in London, wherever he is, the south coast. There\u2019s two ways of thinking about it \u2014 are you going to play every week at Chelsea?<\/p>\n

\u201cVery unlikely. Are you going to play every week at Leeds? That is why you would be signed. If you go to Chelsea, if you only play 15 games, does it put two or three years more on your career?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt depends on the agent too, if the agent is getting a bigger fee to go to Chelsea, there are agents who would send him to Chelsea because they\u2019d get more money.\u201d<\/p>\n