Patrick Bamford has been more or less a non-entity for Leeds United this season. He has made ten substitute appearances in the Championship and his persistent injury issues have meant that Daniel Farke has had little faith in him being a genuine option. The club attempted to move him on the previous two transfer windows, but the wage package has meant that offers were hard to come by for a player whose injury record has been poor in the last couple of seasons. Another attempt to sell him would be made next summer but a genuine claim has been made that Bamford could do a job for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League – Arsenal.
Daniel Farke revealed in his pre-match press conference last Friday that Bamford has encountered another setback on his road to recovery from his latest injury problem.
The forward has yet to return to training with the rest of the squad and will be undergoing individual training in the coming days before he is expected to join the squad ahead of next Monday’s trip to Sheffield United.
It will not be a huge surprise if he fails to make the squad for the big Championship game as this season has been another year of Bamford getting back to fitness and sustaining another fresh injury.
There is absolutely no one at Leeds who thinks the club should consider keeping him at the club next season, regardless of whether they get promoted as he will neither add any value in the Premier League nor the Championship.
However, there are still memories of Bamford scoring goals in the Premier League and former Manchester United star Teddy Sheringham believes he could do a job with Arsenal.
Arsenal just need anyone who can score some goals, Patrick Bamford can do that – Teddy Sheringham
Arsenal allowed another transfer window to pass them by without signing a striker and their problems up front have been exacerbated by injuries to a number of their top forwards.
Kai Havertz was doing a job as the club’s number 9 this season but he has been ruled out for the rest of the season after he picked up an ankle ankle injury last week.
Sheringham insisted that Arsenal just need a striker who can do the job of a number 9 and he doesn’t exactly need to be a top striker with a pedigree in European football.
He believes Arsenal need a number 9 with some box presence and feels that even a forward like Patrick Bamford can do a job for the Premier League giants in the short term.
“You can’t have the whole country saying they need a striker, it doesn’t have to be a top player”, he was quoted as saying by football365.
“Just someone who offers around the six-yard box to convert chances. It could even be a Championship player who is a decent goalscorer.
“Could even be Patrick Bamford, someone like that. ‘We need a goal in the last 20 minutes, you go after the ball around this penalty spot, six-yard box, go and score a goal like you do. You can score a goal, go and score a goal.’
“They haven’t got anyone that’s a natural goal scorer. You know, it doesn’t have to be the best. Just the type of player that they can throw in there.”
Sheringham must have seen something that no one has seen in Bamford
The 31-year-old striker was once a proven goalscorer in the Championship and even had that solid year in the Premier League when Leeds first returned to the top flight.
However, Bamford has not been a reliable goalscorer for a few years now and his constant injuries have even made him less of a physical threat inside the box.
Yes, Arsenal could do with a number 9 but it is almost certain that the Leeds striker does not have the physical attributes anymore to deal with the intensity of the Premier League.
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He has looked lacklustre in the Championship when he has played and injuries have more or less ravaged his body over the years. He is not getting any younger and his fitness issues will not magically go away.
It would be something if Bamford gets a Championship contract next summer if Leeds manage to let him go. The striker’s dreams of playing in the Premier League are more or less over.
