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Leeds open talks to sign an even bigger talent than Buonanotte
Leeds United confirmed their first signing of the January transfer window earlier this week when they revealed that Facundo Buonanotte has joined on loan.
The Argentine attacking midfielder has signed on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion until the end of the season, after spending the last few months on loan at Chelsea.
Leeds were reportedly leading the race to sign Buonanotte from Brighton in the summer transfer window last year, before the Blues swooped in to land him on a temporary basis ahead of them.
The 21-year-old talent only made eight appearances in all competitions during his time with Chelsea, per Sofascore, including one outing in the Premier League, and delivered one goal and two assists.
His startling lack of game time at Stamford Bridge led to his loan deal being cut short so that he could make the move to Elland Road this week to bolster Daniel Farke‘s squad.
Buonanotte may not be the last attacking player to come through the door at Elland Road before the end of the window, though, as the club are reportedly looking at signing an even bigger talent than the Brighton loanee.
According to Area Napoli, as relayed by Sport Witness, Leeds United are one of a number of clubs interested in a deal to sign Napoli forward Noa Lang in the January transfer window.
The report claims that the Whites have made contact to open talks with the Italian side over the possibility of a move to bring the Dutchman to England, as they look to bolster their attacking options.
It adds, though, that Monaco and Wolfsburg have also made contact with Antonio Conte’s team to discuss a deal, which means that there is serious competition for his signature.
Napoli are said to be considering cashing in on the former PSV sensation this month, but they would want either an immediate permanent deal or a loan with an obligation to make it permanent in the summer, and it remains to be seen whether or not Leeds are willing to commit to that.
Why Leeds should sign Noa Lang
The Whites should push to beat Monaco and Wolfsburg to the signing of Lang in the coming weeks because he is an even bigger talent than Buonanotte and could provide Farke’s side with a real injection of quality in the final third.
Buonanotte, at 21, is an exciting young talent and prospect for the future. However, he has never scored more than six goals or provided more than three assists in a single season in his career, per Sofascore.
Lang, meanwhile, has hit 17 or more goal contributions in four of his last five full seasons, per Sofascore, including a return of 14 goals and 12 assists in 44 matches for PSV in the 2024/25 campaign.
U23 scout Antonio Mango once described him as a “constant threat” and his aforementioned statistics back that up, as he regularly supplies goals and assists from a wide or attacking midfield position.
Lang has only scored one goal and provided two assists in the Serie A for Napoli so far this season, per Sofascore, but his underlying numbers show that he has still been a constant threat.
|
25/26 Serie A |
Lang per 90 |
Rank vs LWs |
|---|---|---|
|
xA |
0.30 |
Top 9% |
|
Assists |
0.29 |
Top 19% |
|
Chances created |
2.15 |
Top 19% |
|
Successful crosses |
1.57 |
Top 12% |
|
Cross success rate |
25% |
Top 45% |
As you can see in the table above, the Dutchman ranks highly among his positional peers per 90 in the Serie A this term, as his two assists and four ‘big chances’ created have come from just seven starts for Napoli.
When he started matches on a regular basis for PSV last season, Lang showed that he can be a huge threat. Per Sofascore, he delivered 11 goals and ten assists in 23 Eredivisie starts for PSV in the 2024/25 campaign.
Buonanotte, meanwhile, scored five goals and provided two assists in 31 appearances for Brighton, per Sofascore, in the Premier League last season, which was an impressive return for such a young player, but not quite as impressive as what Lang produced in the Netherlands.
Lang, who can play out wide in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 or as a forward in a 3-5-2, could be an even better signing than Buonanotte for Leeds because of the attacking quality that he has the potential to provide in the final third, given what he has achieved in his career so far.
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