Better than Buonanotte: Leeds weighing up swoop for “magical” £20m star.
Leeds United are looking to strengthen their first-team roster ahead of the Premier League season. The Whites made their first acquisition of the off season earlier this month, signing Germany international Lukas Nmecha on a free transfer.
He will officially join when his contract with Wolfsburg expires at the end of this month. Since the start of the 2023/24 season, the 26-year-old centre-forward has scored five goals in 24 appearances for Wolfsburg across all competitions, including three in 19 Bundesliga games this season.
The new Whites striker could be competing with Joel Piroe, Patrick Bamford, and Mateo Joseph for a place in the starting XI, along with any other number nines the club opt to bring in.
Nmecha will not be the only player recruited by the Championship champions before the summer transfer window closes at the beginning of September. Leeds have been linked with a variety of attacking players, both domestically and internationally, with Brighton & Hove Albion playmaker Facundo Buonanotte being one name suggested as a potential target.
Why Leeds may want to sign Buonanotte
Leeds were reported earlier this month to be confident of concluding a £30 million deal to recruit the offensive midfielder, but there has been no update on the issue since then.
Buonanotte spent the 2024/25 season on loan with Premier League club Leicester City, where he impressed with some promising displays despite being relegated back to the Championship.
| Premier League | Buonanotte(24/25) | Aaronson(22/23) |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 31 | 36 |
| Starts | 14 | 28 |
| xG | 3.93 | 3.86 |
| Goals | 5 | 1 |
| Big chances created | 7 | 5 |
| Assists | 2 | 3 |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
As shown in the table above, he outperformed Brenden Aaronson during his Premier League season with Leeds, implying that he could give an upgrade over Daniel Farke’s present number ten. That followed the left-footed magician’s three goals and one assist in 27 games in the division the previous season, demonstrating his progress at the King Power Stadium. Leeds may wish to recruit the 20-year-old phenom since he has already demonstrated his abilities as a scorer and creator in the Premier League and might boost Farke’s midfield options.
However, the Whites are now reportedly eyeing up another couple of attacking midfield options, and one of them, in particular, could be even better than Buonanotte.
Leeds weighing up moves for attacking midfielders
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Leeds are interested in signing one of Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer or Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia during the summer transfer season. Bailey told Leeds United News: “What we’re seeing in the no.10 position is that Leeds can be selective. There’s no need to go all in on a Hamer or a Buendia. “They are considering possibilities, but I am confident Leeds will sign a No.10, and I feel those two are the front-runners. It will be one of those, and we know Farke enjoys both of them.”
The Whites are considering signing Buendia or Hamer to improve their attacking midfield options, with CaughtOffside reporting that the former is valued at £20 million by Aston Villa.
With all of this information in mind, Farke should encourage the West Yorkshire club to sign the Villans outcast, as he would be an even better alternative than Buonanotte.
Why Leeds should sign Emiliano Buendia
Buendia is a proven Premier League performer who is experienced but still has plenty of time to provide the Whites with strong performances.
The 28-year-old playmaker has ten goals, 15 assists, and 25 ‘great opportunities’ in 121 appearances in the English Premier League for Norwich City and Aston Villa combined, demonstrating his ability to generate goals and assists at that level.
He also appeared 121 times for Farke throughout their time together at Norwich, including every game with him in charge, and scored 24 goals and 41 assists.
His greatest season in a Yellows shirt came in the 2020/21 Championship campaign under the German head coach, when he scored 15 goals, assisted 16 times, and created 18 ‘big opportunities’ in the second division.
The Argentina international, who was previously described as “magical” by analyst Liam Henshaw, understands Farke’s system and style of play, and has demonstrated that he can be extremely effective at the top end of the game.
| 20/21 Championship | Emi Buendia per 90 | Percentile rank vs wingers |
|---|---|---|
| Non-penalty goals | 0.38 | Top 7% |
| Assists | 0.41 | Top 2% |
| xAG | 0.36 | Top 1% |
| npxG + xAG | 0.65 | Top 1% |
| Shot-creating actions | 6.46 | Top 1% |
| Progressive passes | 7.82 | Top 1% |
| Passes into the final third | 5.81 | Top 1% |
| Passes into the penalty area | 2.17 | Top 1% |
| Stats via FBref | ||
As shown in the table above, Buendia was extremely influential in possession in almost every way possible, including scoring goals, generating chances, assisting goals, passing play, moving the ball into the final third, and getting the ball into the penalty box.
This means he might be a considerably more effective option for Leeds in the final third than Buonanotte, who has never scored more than six goals or provided three assists in a single season in his career.
Buendia, who scored two goals and created two ‘great opportunities’ in 11 Bundesliga outings on loan at Bayer Leverkusen this season, may make an immediate impact as an offensive midfielder familiar with the Premier League and Farke.
Buonanotte, on the other hand, has not previously worked with the Leeds head coach and may require time to adjust to the system and manner of working, which is why the Villa attacker might be a far better option for the Whites as they try to start strong in their effort to avoid relegation.
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