Leeds United to make brutal Patrick Bamford exit call at Elland Road
Daniel Farke is set to make a brutal exit call at Leeds United, with Patrick Bamford’s time seemingly up at Elland Road, following a report by Chris Dunlavy.
The Football League Paper journalist reported on Saturday (3 September, page 7) that the Whites are likely to listen to offers for the former England international as he has no clear place in the Whites team following the addition of Joel Piroe.
So far this season Bamford has failed to make a single matchday squad, having picked up a hamstring injury in a pre-season fixture against Hearts, but he is expected to make a return to fitness following the international break.
It feels brutal to be writing off the 29-year-old’s future at Elland Road before he has even been able to kick a ball this season, with his record in the Championship excellent in the past. He led the line as Marcelo Bielsa’s side won the division in the 2019/20 season, registering 20 goal contributions.
Throughout the 167 games he has played in the Championship, Bamford has managed to score a goal, on average, every 2.7 matches, a fairly impressive record considering he was often viewed as a player who missed too many chances.
While the signing of Piroe for upwards of £10million this summer [BBC Sport, 24 August] has pushed Bamford down the ranks at Elland Road, he is also expected to fall behind Georginio Rutter after the Whites spent an enormous fee on the forward last January.
Dunlavy’s report suggests that Bamford is earning £30,000 a week with the Whites at Elland Road following relegation and while that is a huge wage for a Championship forward with the 29-year-old’s fitness record, he is more than capable of providing value for money return when fit.
The last time he played in England’s second tier, he managed to fall in the 99th percentile for all of the division’s forwards in terms of non-penalty xG per 90, averaging better than an expected goal every other game (Fbref).
He also took more shots than 97% of forwards and had nearly six touches per game in the opposition penalty area, a figure better than 93% of his positional peers. When he is fit and healthy, he can be a genuine monster in the Championship.
Prove himself
The simple task for Bamford is to prove himself worthy of remaining at Elland Road once he returns to full fitness, by showing he is capable of still being a valuable asset to a Championship side chasing promotion to the Premier League.
Rutter’s finishing in the Whites’ 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (2 September) was nothing short of dreadful and if the 29-year-old can prove to be a more clinical forward than the Frenchman, he could instead partner Piroe in attack.
Leeds haven’t scored enough goals at home so far this season and Farke is looking for a solution to that problem and that will likely mean Bamford will get the opportunity to stake his claim for a starting place after the international break.
He will have to prove himself invaluable to United in their promotion push, otherwise those in charge at Elland Road will have the difficult task of finding somebody willing to take on his large wages if they hope to move him on.
In other Leeds United news, one player has to start after they impressed on their Elland Road debut