Patrick Bamford shares Leeds United exit admission after injuries and relegation
Patrick Bamford wanted to leave Leeds United following relegation from the Premier League, the striker has confirmed.
He told the BBC’s Football Daily EFL 72+ podcast on 9 October that abuse following the infamous match against Newcastle towards the end of the final Premier League season, where he missed a penalty and cars waited outside his home, contributed to wanting a new start elsewhere.
But ultimately he decided not to take “the easy way out” as he felt he had “unfinished” business at Elland Road after being kept out of action for so long with injury in the months prior.
He said, via Leeds Live: “I wouldn’t say it ever made me want to hang the boots up and finish football, I’ll know when the time is right for that, but at a point, when I knew my family wasn’t comfortable here, being honest at that point, I wanted to leave. I wanted a fresh start and wanted to get somewhere where it was a new start for the family, something fresh and it was just normal, as easy as that sounds.
“It wasn’t until sitting down and thinking about it, I had to make sure my missus was okay with it, and reassure her it won’t happen again by putting measures in place. I knew it was a tough one for me because, after going down, there was still unfinished business with Leeds because I felt like I hadn’t been able to contribute for the last 18 months in the Prem.
“Part of me wanted to really start somewhere new, that would almost be the easy option. Over that summer, there was a lot of thinking hard about it, having a few chats and that. In the end, I said I didn’t want to take the easy option and the easy way out.”
Leeds United striker has scored nine for Daniel Farke
In many ways it was a surprise that Bamford, 31, remained two summers ago given how difficult his situation had become, and it was reported at the time by Mail+ that he wanted to go.
A vicious cycle of fitness issues endlessly knocking him out of action, which only increased the pressure on him to contribute when he was on the pitch and seemed to lead to key errors, seemed like it had reached a head.
Despite scoring nine times under Daniel Farke last season his place at Leeds United has never really felt 100 per cent secure ever since, with suggestions the club would look to sell him in the summer [Daily Mail, 1 July].
But a combination of his salary and lack of obvious landing spots, plus yet another injury before the window closed, made it a non-starter.
It is a testament to Bamford’s will-power that he has always backed himself to rise to the challenges put in front of him at Elland Road, but it hasn’t always turned out positively for him.
With Mateo Joseph emerging as a striking alternative, and Farke seemingly now aware that Joel Piroe is a centre-forward rather than a number 10, it might be difficult for Bamford to get much of a look in this term.
But he is, somehow, still arguably the only number nine in the squad who can function as a target man so the door remains ajar.
In other Leeds United news, “something strange happened” to Illan Meslier but the club can “never” admit if one explanation is true or not.
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