Key stat proves Leeds will miss Bamford more than initially thought
Patrick Bamford is going to be a massive miss for Leeds United if he is sidelined for an extended period of time.
Bamford was withdrawn in the first half of our 0-0 draw with Chelsea at the weekend after trying to play on through what looked like a nasty knock.
Marcelo Bielsa was unable to give an update on our star man after the game as the entire Whites fanbase hold their breath.
We’re all hoping for good news later this week as a key statistic has proved just how much we’re going to miss Bamford if he’s out for a while.
According to The Other 14, who collect data on the Premier League clubs not considered to be in the ‘big six’, claim Bamford has scored 30% of our league goals this season.
That is a pretty heavy amount for one player to score on their own, even if they are pretty much our only striking option.
We know we’ll be less likely to score without Bamford on the pitch but this stat really puts into perspective how big of a miss he will be.
Only three players have scored a higher ratio of their side’s goals among the other 14 Premier League clubs.
Callum Wilson of Newcastle and Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton are two of those players and they have been widely viewed as carrying their clubs this season.
We know we have other quality players but based on this it is fair to say that Bamford is carrying us to a certain degree.
Do we have a player in the side who can replace a prolific scorer of goals, Newcastle don’t, Everton don’t and we’re not sure we do either.
We have players who can score but do we have a player who can consistently score if Bamford is out for a few weeks?
We’re not sure but we’d love nothing more than to be proved wrong by a player who takes the opportunity that may be handed to them if Bamford is indeed sidelined for a while.
Moreover, this highlights the key point that we need to bring in striker cover this summer as Bamford won’t be able to play every game next season.
Hopefully Bamford is ok and this discussion doesn’t become a serious topic of debate.
In other Leeds United news, Super Computer predicts where Leeds will finish in PL after 1 win in 6