Facundo Buonanotte has reflected honestly on his first year with Albion, and says he thought that he would have found his feet faster in the Premier League.
“It was a difficult process,” the Argentinian said. “Obviously that process is still going on. To be honest, I thought it would be a bit easier than it was.
“Everybody told me it would be a tough process and to be prepared, to be calm. In your head you think, ‘no, it will be a bit easier than they say’.
“However, I am here and there are lots of things to adapt to, not just the football. It’s the language, it’s the country. There is a whole pile of things. But I have been here for almost a year and I am adapting. And things are starting to go as I would have planned.”
The 18-year-old says the biggest difference between the Premier League and Argentina’s top-tier – where he played 34 times for Rosario Central – is the amount of time you get on the ball.
“The first thing I noticed was the time you have here. You don’t have any! You receive the ball and you’ve already got an opponent biting away at your ankle.
In Argentina it’s similar, but it’s slower in general. The game, the speed of the ball, the physical impact - here it is all a lot quicker.
“On TV the game looks slower. When you go out on to the pitch and you’re playing, it’s 1,000kph.”
Life of the pitch proved to be a challenge at first as well.
“The first days I struggled driving on the other side! But I’m here almost a year now and I’m fine with it. As far as asado [South American barbeque], it’s not the same as in Argentina but I have managed to find a few steaks which meet that need to enjoy an asado.
“I bring herbs for maté from Argentina. My parents are coming from Argentina and will bring some. I always have some maté and asado – you can’t go without that as an Argentinean.”