Another potential Brighton superstar is starting to develop in not-so-quiet fashion out on loan. Facundo Buonanotte has earned rave reviews for his performances so far this season for Leicester City, justifying the Albion’s decision to send him to the King Power Stadium for a year.
Seagulls supporters saw glimpses of what Buonanotte could do in 2023-24 under Roberto De Zerbi. He scored memorable goals against Crystal Palace and Sheffield United in both Premier League and FA Cup, enjoying a real purple patch through late January and early February.
It was a similar story in November leading into December. Buonanotte opened his Brighton account with a fine strike at Chelsea before coming off the bench at half time in the away game at Palace and playing a major role in helping the Albion salvage a point from their arch rivals.
Buonanotte’s problem though was consistency. He would have a month of good performances, followed by a month of doing nothing.
Hardly a surprise as a teenager still in his first 18 months living in a strange, foreign country. And playing in one of the toughest leagues in the world.
What Buonanotte needed for his development was regular football. Something which he would have found in short supply at Brighton this season thanks to Tony Bloom sanctioning nearly £200 million of summer signings.
If Buonanotte had remained at the Amex, he would be behind Joao Pedo, Georginio Rutter and Julio Enciso for the number 10 role which looks his natural and best position.
De Zerbi also used Buonanotte out wide. There in 2024-25, he faced competition from Kaoru Mitoma, Simon Adingra, Yankubu Minteh and Brajan Gruda.
Enciso is probably the best example of the fate which would have befallen Buonanotte had he stay at Brighton. If Enciso is only getting a couple of minutes here and there in the Premier League, where would Buonanotte have fitted in? The answer is he wouldn’t.
But with the way he is playing for Leicester, Buonanotte is making a strong case that he should be ahead of Enciso next season when he returns to Brighton.
Whilst the Paraguayan struggles for minutes and question marks remain over his decision making – such a shooting every time he gets within 30 yards of goal – Buonanotte is blossoming into a fine player at Leicester.
This is what a good loan move can do. And it is arguably something the Albion should consider for Enciso in either January or next summer.
Buonanotte claimed his first Leicester assist on his second appearance for the Foxes, a 2-1 defeat away at Fulham. A week later and he netted the consolation when Aston Villa won 2-1 at the King Power Stadium.
Another assist followed in a 4-2 home reversal to Arsenal at the end of September, pre-Gunners implosion. October then proved to be a huge month for Buonanotte with two goals and award nominations coming his way.
He scored a in magnificent fashion, cutting in from the right wing and hitting an unstoppable rocket into the top corner to give Leicester a 1-0 win over Plucky Little Bournemouth. It put him on the shortlist for Premier League Goal of the Month.
Buonanotte struck again after the international break in another Foxes victory, this time a come-from-behind 3-2 success at Southampton.
As a result, Buonanotte joined Danny Welbeck on the shortlist for Premier League October Player of the Month. If he maintains that sort of form between now and May, Leicester will have a real chance of avoiding an immediate return to the Premier League.
Buonanotte’s performances have not gone unnoticed by the wider footballing world, either. Leicester would obviously love to keep him permanently.
There seems little chance of that though. The Foxes have no right-to-buy-clause in the loan deal and Brighton will recognise Buonanotte deserves a chance to prove himself at the Amex based on what he has done at Leicester so far.
At only 19-years-old, his scope for further improvement and the levels he could reach are frightening. Buonanotte is starting to show why Carlos Tevez once compared him to Lionel Messi when manager of Rosario Central.
A more interesting potential conundrum facing the Albion is what happens if a European giant make a big-money offer for Buonanotte? Both Borussia Dortmund and Spurs are said to be interested.
Even with all the attention Buonanotte is garnering, there are still areas of his game he needs to work on over the remainder of his Leicester loan.
Discipline is a very obvious one. Despite his limited game time last season, Buonanotte still managed to pick up an impressive eight yellow cards.
He has already earned five in his 10 outings for Leicester so far, earning a one-match ban in the process for the visit of Chelsea to the King Power after the international break.
Once he has completed his suspension, Buonanotte will undoubtedly be straight back into the Foxes XI. Three goals and two assists makes him a key player for Steve Cooper.
Whether Buonanotte can make himself one for Hurzeler in 2025-26 remains to be seen. Which says a lot about the quality of number 10s available to Brighton.
But this Leicester loan is giving him a real chance of doing so. Another potential Albion superstar is in the making.
