Matt Law attempts to explain Chelsea’s “WTF” transfer of the summer | OneFootball

The signing of Facundo Buonanotte on loan to Chelsea right at the end of this summer’s transfer deadline was a head scratcher.

He came on a loan with no option to buy, right at the deadline, and was then left off the Champions League squad list. Last season he was on loan with a Leicester team who were relegated… and couldn’t even get in their team regularly either.

“WTF” transfer explained by Chelsea insider

Facundo Buonanotte signs for Chelsea. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

On the London is Blue podcast, Matt Law called it a “WTF transfer”, and noted that this ownership did like having at least one of those in every window.

“On the face of it he looks like a body… someone who may well play Carabao Cup and the early rounds of the FA Cup, who can take the load off Cole Palmer.”

Chelsea were limited by UEFA this summer with a settlement that said the Blues could only register players of the same value they sold, and a loan for Buonanotte gave them more flexibility than spending big on Xavi Simons, another target, would have done.

“My guess is that it’s also linked to the UEFA rules,” Law speculated.

“I believe that once Nicolas Jackson was being loaned and not sold, that bringing in a player for a fee perhaps became trickier than it would have done. Buonanotte has not been included in the Champions League squad… if you sign someone like Xavi Simons for £60m you can’t leave them out of the squad.”

You can see Law speaking in the clip embedded here:

Chelsea’s oddest transfer of the summer has a curious season ahead

It is one of those WTF moves without doubt, with a whole extra layer of the confusion coming from the fact that Buonanotte’s Brighton teammate Julio Enciso had been lined up for a move to our sister club Strasbourg just days before, apparently with a future move to Stamford Bridge in his sights.

That deal fell through, but before the dust had settled a different South American playmaker had been dug up from the Seagulls’ books to come to us. It’s all a little strange, and we’re all trying to make sense of it…