Just after one season away from the top division, Leicester City returned to the English Premier League. The Foxes failed to win their first six games in the league. A few players, including Facundo Buonanotte, stepped up in the next two games. Leicester City won the last two league matches and moved outside the relegation zone.
Facundo Buonanotte was a summer signing for the Foxes. He arrived on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, who brought him in January 2023. The 19-year-old is an attacking midfielder and can also play on the flanks. With 40 league games under his bag in a Brighton shirt, Buonanotte became a key addition to Cooper’s side.
After scoring a winning goal against Bournemouth, the Argentine started the comeback win over Southampton. With some other key contributions to the team, Buonanotte is becoming a key player for the Foxes. Leicester City need some players to step up in the race for survival. Here we look at how this on-loan player has carried the Foxes this campaign.
A key figure on the right side
Facundo Buonanotte plays as a regular for Leicester City. He plays on the right side of the field. The heatmap of the player shows that he sticks to the middle of the park. Most of the high-intensity zones are around the middle third. The ball progression visual shows that Buonanotte is not a big runner with the ball. Instead, he likes to take on defenders outside the box. A decent dribble success rate on the edge of the penalty box has allowed the youngster to get into decent scoring positions.
Leicester City need all the players to step up on both sides of the field. Every point will play a big role in the race for survival. Buonanotte has helped the defence in every possible situation. He tracks back the opposition full-backs. The youngster has made around 10 interceptions and also performed a few defensive actions on the flank. These actions have produced some fouls but most of them have resulted in a ball win for the youngster. These small contributions can lead to something in big matches.
Leicester City’s main attacking threat
The 19-year-old forward has been the main threat for the Foxes. He has benched two of the most influential players from Leicester City’s promotion campaign. Issahaku Fatawu and Stephy Madvididi are not regular starters. They rotate in the squad and Buonanotte is a regular in the starting 11.
One of the major reasons behind this is the quality of passes provided by the young Argentine. He is good on set-pieces, making him a threat to any opposition team. Facundo Buonanotte already has a couple of assists to his name. Both assists have been delivered on the plate of the teammate. One came from a corner, while other shot assists were delivered from a central zone. These quality of deliveries have been influential for the Foxes.
Facundo Buonanotte has added three goals to his name. He has already equalled last season’s tally. All goals were scored from a similar angle. The accuracy rate is around 42.5% for this young talent.
This was a moment of brilliance against Bournemouth. After receiving the ball on the flank, Buonanotte took on the opposition players. He then got the better of the defender with stepovers. A brilliant shot at the end got the goal.
Against Southampton, Buonanotte started the move outside the box. He saw the winger making a run behind the defenders. Two Leicester City players were already in the box. Buonanotte made a run to get past them and scored a goal.
Brighton will be happy to see the progress of their young Argentine. This loan spell will be crucial for both teams. Facundo Buonanotte will also aim to continue this form.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine