A summer transfer target who rejected the chance to join Leicester City in favour of signing for Roma could be given a lifeline by Claudio Ranieri.
The 73-year-old has returned to Roma for a third time, less than a year after announcing his retirement from football.
At his first press conference since returning to his boyhood club, Ranieri admitted he had more offers from clubs than he did after being sacked by Leicester, but was only interested in Roma or Cagliari.
He will take charge until the end of the season where he will now look to pull the Italian giants out of their slump and away from their current position of 12th with fresh, new ideas.
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Matias Soule impresses Claudio Ranieri in first few days at Roma
New managerial appointments often mean that some players are given a second chance as they put their own stamp on things.
Leicester City fans will be all too familiar with this themselves when Claudio Ranieri joined in 2015, switching to a 4-4-2, a decision that saw the Foxes famously win the Premier League.
One of those who may feel the benefit is Matias Soule.
The young Argentine was on the radar of Leicester all summer before Soule’s agent pulled the strings and convinced him to stay in Italy.
His summer move hasn’t gone to plan as the 21-year-old has just one goal from 12 games in all competitions and lost his place, but it appears he’s already caught the eye of Ranieri.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Soule is the player who has impressed the new Roma boss the most and that he could be in line for an appearance against Napoli on Sunday.
Facundo Buonanotte signing fills void left by Leicester’s failure to sign Soule
There was plenty of disappointment among everyone affiliated to Leicester when the Foxes failed to land Soule’s signature.
The Telegraph revealed that Soule was a key target for Steve Cooper but after looking to find alternatives, they appear to have found a much better option in Facundo Buonanotte.
On loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, Buonanotte has been the best player of the season and contributed far more than Soule, scoring three and assisting two.
Facundo Buonanotte vs Matias Soule stats comparison
| Stats | Facundo Buonanotte | Matias Soule |
| Appearances | 12 | 12 |
| Minutes played | 733 | 640 |
| Goals | 3 | 1 |
| Assists | 2 | 0 |
| Shots | 20 | 18 |
| Chances created | 17 | 15 |
| Passes | 209 | 302 |
| Dribbles | 18 | 15 |
| Duels won | 62 | 44 |
His performances have even seen him called up to Argentina’s past two international squads at Soule’s expense.
Unfortunately for Cooper and Leicester, Buonanotte won’t be available for Saturday’s home game against Chelsea. The winger picked up his fifth yellow card in the Premier League in the defeat to Manchester United and is therefore suspended.