Bamford now surely done at Leeds United after what happened in Stoke win
Leeds United once again triumphed in the Championship after beating Stoke 2-0 at the bet365 Stadium on Boxing Day.
Thanks to the three points they earned, the Whites made their way to the top of the table due to their superior goal difference over Yorkshire rivals, Sheffield United.
Joel Piroe was the star of the show for Daniel Farke’s men as he bagged both of their goals and proved why he deserves his starting role in the German’s set-up.
However, now that the Dutchman has emerged as the clear front-runner for Leeds’ number nine role, it feels like there’s no room left in the team for Patrick Bamford.
The Englishman has hardly been given a chance to play this season and as Piroe showed against Stoke, he should be the man to lead the West Yorkshire outfit’s attacking line.
This has resulted in some rumours surrounding where Bamford’s future is set to lie with Wrexham recently emerging as a team interested in making a move [LeedsUnited.news, 23 December].
Leeds United must earn automatic promotion from the Championship this season
Last season ended in dismay for Farke and his men as they narrowly missed out on a Premier League return at the first time of asking when they were defeated 1-0 by Russell Martin’s men.
The Whites are in a fantastic position to right that wrong halfway through this campaign, though, and you still feel like there could be another gear to click into.
As per Sofascore, their win over the Potters on 26 December once again showed why Piroe is earning the shirt as a starter right now.
In the 79 minutes he was on the pitch, he bagged both of Leeds’ goals, maintained a pass accuracy of 82% and had 32 touches of the ball.
Of the 14 accurate passes he made, two of them were deemed key which shows how pivotal he is not only to score goals but to also set up his teammates.
The striker completed 50 per cent of the dribbles he attempted and while his defensive performance wasn’t the best with the attacker only winning 44 per cent of his ground duels and 0 per cent of aerial duels, he still put in a more than impressive attacking performance.
Of course, only time will tell whether or not Farke sanctions the exit of Bamford in January but with the form that Piroe and even Mateo Joseph have shown this season, it feels silly for the German to not try and get his wages off the books.
In other Leeds news, Jon Newsome has shared one “whinge” he had about the Whites in their game against Stoke.
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