Chelsea Football Club have secured the loan signing of Facundo Buonanotte from Brighton & Hove Albion. The Argentine international, who spent last season on loan at relegated Leicester City, will join the West London club for the 25/26 season without an obligation to make the deal permanent. But who exactly is Buonanotte, and what can Chelsea fans expect from their new arrival?
The signing of Facundo Buonanotte came after the Blues lost their primary target, Xavi Simons of Leipzig to their city rival, Tottenham Hotspur for a deal worth £51m. The growing need to then reinforce the attack following Liam Delap's hamstring injury against Fulham and Cole Palmer's groin injury meant the Blues had to look for alternatives, hence the loan signing of the left-footed Argentine international.
🚨🔵 BREAKING: Facundo Buonanotte to Chelsea, here we go! Deal in place with loan move and there’s no buy option clause included.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 29, 2025
❗️ Understand Chelsea will have chance to match future bids and get Buonanotte if they can agree with Brighton.
Exclusive story, confirmed. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/0XlyzP4QKO
Facundo Buonanotte, who spent last season on loan at relegated Leicester city has now become the 5th brighton and hove albion player in just over 3 years to make a switch from the seagulls to Chelsea. The 20 year old made 35 appearances across all competition for the foxes and registered six goals and three assists.
Reasons Why Fans Should be Optimistic About Him
While Buonanotte lacks the star power and name recognition of someone like Simons, dismissing him outright would be premature. While his underlying numbers doesn't look that glamorous, he could yet still be s shrewd signing for many reasons.
Squad Fit
From the squad fit standpoint, Buonanotte is a low-risk signing that is actually very sensible. For one, he is only coming to provide cover for the likes of Cole Palmer and Estevao - this means that if he doesn't progress as the club wanted, they can easily cut their losses at the end of the season. If I were to guess, I'd say the club has learnt from the João Félix transfer of last season where they had to be bailed out by both AC Milan and Al-Nassr before they were able to move him on.
Also, his loan signing will also not block the pathway for Kendry Paez. The Ecuadorian wonderkid has been on Chelsea's books for over two year now and hasn't made any competitive appearance for them. He is currently on loan at Strasbourg for the 2024/2025 season. The plan, according to the club, is for him to get enough game time and then return to be a part of the squad - much like what happened to Andrey Santos.
Statistical Profile
Facundo Buonanotte could yet still prove to be more than just a stop-gap signing, but rather a smart one based on the underlying attacking and defensive numbers he produced for Leicester City despite their forgettable Premier League campaign. For example, his cross success rate last season was 46.2% and through ball success rate was 80%.
Facundo Buonanotte has both the best cross success rate (46.2%) and through ball success rate (80%) in the Premier League this season (20+ crosses, 5+ through balls). 🪄 pic.twitter.com/bWKtRh2ilc
— WhoScored (@WhoScored) December 2, 2024
Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto, on the other hand, had a 24.46% and 28.38% cross success rate respectively. Although Cole Palmer and Neto attempted double the number of crosses that Buonanotte did, these numbers still suggest that Buonanotte also possess good delivery quality and could offer Chelsea a more clinical edge in the final third.
For an attacking midfielder in a struggling team, his pass completion rate is also pretty decent. Last season, his pass completion rate was around 76%, while his Progressive Passes rate was 3.19 - lower than you would want from an attacking midfielder.
An excuse can be given though as he likes to take on players instead. This is evident in why his Goal Creating Action (Take-On) rate is high at 0.12, a number slightly lower than Yakuba Minteh, the highest in this stat category. I reckon in a more settled side, his progressive carries and chance creation would double up.
Away from his passing stats, the most attractive (and surprisingly) side of Buonanotte's game is his defensive stat. His defensive numbers tell the story of a player who doesn't switch off when his team loses the ball - a trait Maresca will absolutely love
With 3.13 tackles per 90 minutes, he ranks among the very best attacking midfielders in the league for winning back possession. His 1.89 tackles won per game shows he's constantly pressing and engaging in advanced areas. Buonanotte, last season, also contributes 0.71 interceptions per 90! This balance between his creative output and defensive contribution shows that he can function in Maresca's system.
To Sum it Up
While fans have the right to feel a little bewildered about this transfer, I think that his statistical profile suggests Chelsea may have actually stumbled upon a gem who just needs some fine-tuning.
At just 20 years old and already capped by Argentina (2x), it is safe to say that Buonanotte possesses the raw talent and international recognition that indicate significant potential. Under the guidance of Coach Enzo Maresca, Cole Palmer and well established Chelsea stars, this seemingly underwhelming signing could eventually develop into one of Chelsea's most valuable assets in the coming seasons!
