Eibar terminate Leonardo Buta's loan spell as Portuguese heads back to homeland
The Segunda División side have cut short the Portuguese defender's loan from Udinese, with a move to Rio Ave now likely as Beñat San José reshapes his squad.
SD Eibar have made their first move of the transfer window’s final day, but it’s an exit rather than an arrival as they’ve terminated Leonardo Buta’s loan spell from Udinese.
Buta’s Eibar adventure ends prematurely
The Portuguese full-back has fallen completely out of favour under manager Beñat San José, managing just 78 minutes across Eibar’s last 11 league matches. His diminishing role in the squad became crystal clear when he was left out of the matchday squad entirely for yesterday’s fixture.
Sources indicate the 24-year-old is likely heading back to his native Portugal, with Rio Ave the probable destination for the remainder of the season.
Buta’s time at Ipurua started brightly enough, featuring regularly in the early part of the campaign. However, his playing time gradually dwindled as San José preferred to deploy the versatile Anaitz Arbilla at left-back in recent months. Even young Arrillaga had leapfrogged Buta in the pecking order based on recent team selections.
No new arrivals expected
All signs point to Eibar making no further additions before the transfer deadline tonight. While nothing can be ruled out until the window officially slams shut, the Basque club has maintained a relatively quiet January.
Only a handful of names have been linked with the Armeros in recent weeks:
- Bruno Langa, who has recently changed clubs within Portugal
- Rubén Pardo, the former Real Sociedad midfielder
The expectation is for a calm deadline day at the Ipurua offices, with no major surprises anticipated.
Sporting director’s future also in question
Sporting Director César Palacios will hold his customary post-transfer window press conference tomorrow at 11:00 at Ipurua to discuss the club’s January business. With his contract set to expire on June 30th, this could potentially be his final transfer window at the helm of Eibar’s sporting operations.
Despite the uncertainty around his own future, Palacios still faces significant challenges ahead, particularly regarding contract renewals. Mada and Jonmi have already committed their futures to the club, but several other key players remain in negotiations as Eibar push for promotion back to La Liga.