Chelsea shock fans by leaving new summer recruit Facundo Buonanotte out of their UCL roster. This has sparked questions about the club’s attacking depth.
Buonanotte left out from Chelsea UCL squad
Chelsea made a late swoop for Facundo Buonanotte, signing the Argentine on a season-long loan from Brighton for £2m. The young man had loaned at Leicester City last season, impressively. He was about to join Leeds United when Chelsea stepped in.
He came with his fellow countryman Alejandro Garnacho. Garnacho signed from Man United in an eye-watering £40m transfer. While Garnacho made the UCL squad, Buonanotte has been omitted altogether. Head coach Enzo Maresca opted not to put him in the squad at all.
Fans are left scratching their heads over the omission. That is especially given the club’s failure to land Xavi Simons, who instead joined Tottenham. Buonanotte now faces the task of challenging Cole Palmer for the no10 role in the PL. Palmer is sidelined by a groin issue at the moment.
Room for change in future phases
Chelsea has the option to change their squad after the group stage and before the knockout stage. That means Buonanotte still has some hope for the UCL. But, his absence from the squad shows how much competition there is in Chelsea’s attacking group. This questions if it was too early for the club to add another forward.
For now, Buonanotte must prove himself in domestic competitions to show he can be considered for the bigger stage. The development and adaptability of the player will be closely seen. The west London club will be managing squad rotation and injuries during the months ahead.
Author’s Opinion:
It seems overly harsh to leave Buonanotte out. But, Chelsea’s attacking group is surely overloaded and Maresca was very tough in his selection. The young midfielder must first earn his opportunity to play in the PL before his opportunity is secured in Europe.
As featured on Chelseanews.com
