Leeds United no longer rely on Patrick Bamford thanks to £52m duo
Leeds United are no longer forced to rely on Patrick Bamford as their main source of goals and creativity after the emergence of Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter as key players in the Championship.
As shared by the Yorkshire Evening Post [29 September], Bamford had previously been the main source of goals, both scoring and creating, at Elland Road, with his only competition coming from Rodrigo who has now left.
Piroe arrived in the summer for a potential fee of £16million [The Athletic] and Rutter’s emergence as a key player after his £36million [Sky Sports] January move has eased the burden on the striker who may now find himself on the fringes.
The striker will certainly still play a role at Elland Road, with his style of play suiting Daniel Farke’s number ten role perfectly, as a striker who will drop deep to link play and connect with the further-forward attacker, as we have seen with Piroe and Rutter.
However, thanks to the emergence of the two stars of the season so far, Bamford looks set for more of a marginalised role, although he will still be needed as we enter the testing winter fixture schedule.
Piroe in particular was signed due to concerns surrounding Bamford’s fitness. Those concerns had always existed, but a hamstring injury picked up in the pre-season clash with Hearts made a new forward a priority, which saw the Yorkshire club prioritise the Dutchman.
Entering his sixth year at the club, having signed in 2018, Bamford has become used to being the main man at Elland Road. His 16 Championship goals in the 2019/20 season fired Marcelo Bielsa’s side into the Premier League, and he would have been looking to replicate that form this year.
Now, though, he will be playing second-fiddle for the first time in his Leeds career, and this could do a world of good for his inspiration and levels of fitness.
In other Leeds United news, a manager has shared an update on the future of his Leeds-linked star.