Brutal decision confirmed after Leeds United rejection and Champions League admission
Questions were instantly raised following his decision to pick Chelsea over Leeds United.
Facundo Buonanotte’s decision to snub Leeds United for Chelsea has come into question after he was brutally left out of the latter’s Champions League squad.
The Argentinian’s season-long loan move to Stamford Bridge was officially confirmed on deadline day after Chelsea swooped in late to end Leeds’ transfer hopes, paying a £2million loan fee. The Whites felt close enough to a deal to schedule a flight from the south coast to West Yorkshire but after multiple delays on Friday evening, it was eventually cancelled.
"It’s a great step in my career,” Buonanotte said after snubbing Leeds for Chelsea. "I’m really happy to be here and ready to offer as much as I can to the team and the staff. I’m sure it will be a positive season.
"Of course, I’ll get the opportunity to play in the Champions League for the first time, which will be a great challenge. I’m really looking forward to this season and hopefully I can help the club to achieve its goals."
A move to Chelsea raised instant questions surrounding Buonanotte’s game-time this season, with Enzo Maresca’s squad already bloated with wingers and attacking midfielders. Just this summer, the Blues spent a combined £173million on Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Estevao while Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto were already in place.
And now the reality of the situation has been laid bare, with Buonanotte’s dream of a first Champions League appearance quashed for at least the next five months. Chelsea boss Maresca confirmed his 23-man squad for the upcoming league phase and has brutally omitted his Brighton loan arrival.
Facundo Buonanotte snubbed after Leeds United loan rejection
Clubs are actually allowed to name a 25-senior player ‘A list’ for the competition but eight must be locally trained or homegrown, with any fewer than that number meaning a reduced squad capacity. A ‘B list’ is then submitted containing players born after January 1, 2003 who have been with the respective club for more than two years.
With Buonanotte not yet homegrown - he will qualify as such from January, having been with Brighton since the start of 2023 - and only just arriving at Stamford Bridge, he doesn’t fit either specific category and has therefore been cut. And to rub salt in the wound, virtually every other summer arrival was named in the squad, including Liam Delap who is out for six weeks with a hamstring injury.
Even defender Levi Colwill is part of the 23-man A list despite being out for the vast majority of this season due to an ACL injury. The 22-year-old’s inclusion is likely due to his status as a club-trained player but he will not play a single minute of the league phase.
Buonanotte could still play Champions League football for Chelsea but it would need the Blues to make it through to the knockout phase, with the chance to add three new players in early February. That will, however, come after a January transfer window in which Maresca’s side will likely spend big again.