Chelsea have terminated Facundo Buonanotte’s loan at Stamford Bridge, with the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder now spending the second half of the season with Leeds United instead.
Buonanotte joined Chelsea on a season-long loan on Deadline Day during the summer, with the Blues decision-makers seeing the Argentine as capable cover for Cole Palmer and the final attacking reinforcement to the team after Nicolas Jackson’s exit to Bayern Munich.
The signing was met with genuine surprise from many Chelsea fans, given Buonanotte had been relegated on loan with Ipswich Town the season prior.
Those doubters were subsequently proven right. Buonanotte’s solitary Premier League appearance came in early September and he was only named on the bench for a further four games, instead being forced to settle for appearances in cup competitions even though Palmer, the man for whom he was supposed to deputise, has just nine Premier League starts to his name this season.
Fabrizio Romano initially revealed that Chelsea had agreed to tear up Buonanotte’s loan, before16th-placed Leeds unveiled the Argentine as their newest signing on Thursday evening.
Chelsea Transfer Business Continues to Frustrate Supporters
The writing appeared to be on the wall for Buonanotte almost immediately following his switch to Stamford Bridge. He claimed Champions League football was his biggest reason for joining Chelsea, only to be left out of the Blues’ squad for the competition just days later. An injury to Dário Essugo ultimately allowed him back in.
By terminating his loan, Chelsea have added additional fuel to the frustration being directed towards the ownership and sporting directors, some of which revolves around an ill-advised approach to transfers.
A formal protest against the ownership has been scheduled but fans in the three games since Enzo Maresca’s departure have made their displeasure known with a series of chants targeting co-owner Behdad Eghbali and often singing the name of former owner Roman Abramovich.
Anger has also been directed towards co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields and director of global recruitment Sam Jewell, who are accused of failing to build a stable squad capable of competing for silverware.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Offload Summer Signing After Just Five Months.
