‘I would be delighted’ – 26y/o wants to stay at ‘perfect’ Leeds for ‘foreseeable future’

Sun 10 May 2020 11:00, UK

Patrick Bamford has claimed that he would be “delighted” to remain at Leeds United for the “next five years” as he sets his sights on a lengthy stay in the Premier League with the Whites.

The 26-year-old has established himself as a real favourite of Marcelo Bielsa’s since arriving at Elland Road in 2018, and has made 38 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring 13 goals in the process.

The striker’s current deal with the club expires in the summer of 2022, but he is already eyeing up the prospect of an extended spell in Yorkshire.

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Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, he said: “I don’t think I’ve ever been at a club and been as settled in terms of the area – I’m close to my family, I love the club, the training ground, I love the lads.

“Everything about it is perfect.

“So for me I would be delighted to be here for the foreseeable future in terms of the next five years and see what we can achieve.

“I feel like this is the kind of club that when we do get in the Premier League, we’ll stay there and we’ll do all we can to get back to the heights that Leeds were once at.”

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Bamford can cut a frustrating figure at times because of his, quite frankly, unreliable finishing.

So far this season, it has taken him 123 shots to score 13 goals in the Championship, as per Whoscored.

As a point of reference, Sheffield Wednesday forward Steven Fletcher has reached the same tally with just 68 shots, as per Whoscored.

But there is a reason why Bielsa keeps faith in him, and a reason why pundits are so willing to jump to his defence.

Speaking to Football Insider back in October, former Elland Road hitman Noel Whelan claimed that Bamford does “everything right” apart from putting the ball in the back of the net on a weekly basis.

Similarly, Darren Bent has argued that Bamford’s teammates would miss his considerable work rate if he was to drop out of Bielsa’s plans, stating: “he works hard, puts a shift in, does a lot of running, shuts people down and he does chip in with the odd goal”.

Bamford is a grafter, and his willingness to run himself into the ground week after week has been a sizeable factor in Leeds’ success this season – even if his goalscoring prowess could be improved upon.

Bearing that in mind, and given Bielsa’s obvious preference for him, keeping him around for the foreseeable future seems like the right thing to do.

In other Leeds United news, Brighton chief makes clear statement about Ben White future after Orta talks.