Facundo Buonanotte’s Leicester City team-mate, Victor Kristiansen, has said that a loan spell can feel like a “one-year exam”. Right now, the Argentinian is coming up with all of the answers.
He scored the only goal of the game against Bournemouth on Saturday to earn City their maiden victory of the season. With his tally of goals and assists now up to four, and with his dribbling ability, attacking threat and tenacious off-the-ball work impressing fans, there are already calls for City to pick up the phone and ask Brighton how much they want for the youngster.
The early signs are that he will pass his test with flying colours. Kristiansen, who spent the year on loan at Serie A side Bologna last term, has said Buonanotte has quickly settled in to life at the King Power Stadium.
“He’s come here to show his talent, so it was great to see him score a really good goal and play an excellent match,” Kristiansen said of the 19-year-old after Saturday’s victory. “It’s a difficult situation when you go out to a club on loan. It’s almost like a one-year exam to show how good you are, and that makes it challenging.
“It’s also difficult for the club to prioritise a loan player, but Facundo has been really good so far. He’s a confident guy and a very calm character. We speak a little bit of Italian together, so that’s nice.”
But the idea of a permanent move next summer does not feel on the cards. Buonanotte signed a new contract with Brighton upon his switch to City, and is now tied to the Seagulls until 2028.
There’s no buy clause in his loan contract and there’s been no suggestion from anybody on the south coast that they would look to sell him in the future. All of the talk was around his development and improvement ahead of a return to the Amex Stadium.
Brighton’s technical director David Weir said: “Facundo had a good breakthrough year last season and now he has an excellent opportunity to play regularly in the Premier League. This new contract is a reflection of the season Facundo had and that we see his long-term future being here. Pathway development manager Gordon Greer and his team will monitor Facundo closely and we wish him the best of luck for the season.”
Meanwhile, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler added: “I hope first of all that he will play (for Leicester). If you play every game, you will develop. He’s still a player for Brighton so we will watch his development.
“He was very good in training. I’m very happy with him. For me, it’s always important that players try to develop themselves. That only happens if they play. I hope he will get the minutes at Leicester and come back a stronger, better player.”
So far, Buonanotte has started four of City’s seven matches, coming on as a substitute in two of the other three games. With his four goal involvements, he ranks 11th in the Premier League for goals and assists per 90 minutes, and second of players in the bottom half, behind only Brentford’s Yoane Wissa.
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