‘Leeds United face harsh transfer reality’ after Patrick Bamford update
Patrick Bamford’s “serious injury issues” and Mateo Joseph’s profligacy leave Leeds United in need of a new striker, Lee Chapman has said.
Speaking with the Yorkshire Evening Post (15 January), Chapman highlighted that of the current options at Daniel Farke’s disposal, the United boss doesn’t have many prolific strikers to call upon.
Joel Piroe is the Whites’ top scorer this season with 10 goals, with Joseph having just two himself and Bamford yet to find the net before suffering a hamstring injury which will rule him out for four weeks.
Chapman said: “They haven’t got that many strikers who can score goals. Bamford always seems to be injured at the moment. He’s obviously got serious injury issues.
“If Joseph doesn’t start scoring soon then maybe they’ve got to look at getting someone else in – it’s a harsh reality.”
Leeds United striker crisis impossible for Daniel Farke to ignore
While Farke has done his best to pour water on the prospects of the Peacocks actioning a move for a new striker in the winter transfer window, their dearth of consistent goalscorers is staring him in the face.
Big-money moves for the likes of Emmanuel Latte Lath could indeed be a step too far, but with only Piroe and Joseph to call upon for the foreseeable future, further additions certainly wouldn’t hurt their cause.
Bamford’s fitness battles have been a consistent problem for almost four years straight – and have been common since his 2018 arrival at Elland Road – making the 31-year-old a completely unreliable option.
Were Piroe – the only forward looking likely to find the net regularly at present – to be struck down with an injury of his own after the deadline on 3 February, it could be terminal for United’s promotion hopes.
No individual signing will cost the Whites promotion unless they find a more error-prone goalkeeper than Illan Meslier, but no signings whatsoever could prove to be what denies Leeds at the final hurdle.
In other Leeds news, Tony Mowbray has revealed the kind gestures made by Elland Road officials after his cancer diagnosis.
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