Exclusive: Tottenham eye exciting Prem star likened to Lionel Messi, more goals than Kulusevski
11/12/2024 11:45 AM
Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are interested in Leicester City loanee Facundo Buonanotte but Brighton and Hove Albion insist they have no plans to sell the Argentine at this stage.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
After being loaned out by Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton side in search of more regular senior football, the talented playmaker has been one of the brightest sparks during Steve Cooper’s first few months at Leicester City.
Facundo Buonanotte, with three, is The Foxes’ second highest goalscorer behind the evergreen Jamie Vardy.
And TBR understands that his performances have attracted attention from some of the major clubs from across the continent. Tottenham Hotspur have been alerted, alongside German giants RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund plus Serie A champions Inter Milan.
But, as things stand, Brighton have insisted that there is currently no way they would consider selling with Buonanotte earmarked to play a role at The Amex once he returns to the South Coast.
Tottenham eye Brighton’s Leicester City loanee Facundo Buonanotte
Brighton agreed a deal to sign Buonanotte from Rosario Central in his native Argentina back in 2022.
The 19-year-old had earned comparisons with the nation’s favourite son back home in South America, with former Rosario boss and Premier League icon Carlos Tevez glowing in his his praise for the diminutive schemer.
"I watch football and it's been a long time since I've seen someone play who gives me as much pleasure as Buonanotte,” former Man United and Man City striker Tevez said at the time.
"When he brakes and accelerates, he reminds me of [Lionel] Messi. He is at a very high level."
The Seagulls paid just £6 million to bring Buonanotte to England, per Sussex Live. Two years on, it would take a colossal fee to even convince Brighton to sit down at the table.
Buonanotte links come amid James Maddison’s Spurs struggles
Tottenham’s interest, however, is testament to the way the teenager has settled into life at Leicester. As summer signing Bilal El Khannouss struggles to make his mark at Leicester, Buonanotte has blossomed as Cooper’s go-to creator in the final third.
And, as Tottenham slumped to a shock home defeat by Ipswich Town on Sunday, Ange Postecoglou’s team looked like one crying out for a footballer capable of picking up the ball between the lines.
That is often a role James Maddison is tasked with fulfilling at Spurs. But with the England international again falling off the boil following a bright start to the season, questions are starting to be asked about whether Tottenham should be pursuing a potential replacement.
It felt telling that, with Spurs desperate for a goal against Ipswich, Postecoglou opted only to bring Maddison off the bench with 84 minutes played.
“Something seems to go wrong [with Maddison]. It happened a little bit in his Leicester days," Wimbledon legend Robbie Earle said on The Two Robbies Podcast. "There's moments when in big games you never saw him.
"Now, the problem with James Maddison – and he's such a technically gifted player – is that if he's not making goals, scoring goals or dominating the game for you, there isn't an awful lot else.
"And in modern day football [you cannot carry passengers].”
