Patrick Bamford has been a peripheral figure at Leeds United this season. He has often looked lost and even unwanted at Elland Road this term with Daniel Farke deciding to place his trust in Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph. Injuries have ravaged him physically but he still has 18 months left on his contract and his wages mean he will be hard to shift in January. It seems Farke is angling towards ensuring that he tries to get the best out of him for the rest of the season at least.
The Leeds strikers are not exactly setting the Championship on fire despite the Whites being the top goalscorers in the league thus far his season.
Joel Piroe is Leeds’ top scorer with seven goals and Mateo Joseph has hit the back of the net just twice in the league thus far. Bamford’s fitness issues mean Farke has been forced to depend on the two strikers rather than trust the veteran.
All his eight appearances in the league have come from the bench but there was something different in his 25-minute cameo in Leeds’ 1-1 draw at Preston last weekend.
It is the most number of minutes he has played in a league game thus far in this season and the 31-year-old looked sharper and fitter and almost found the back of the net from an attempted backheel.
Daniel Farke sees value in Patrick Bamford still
The Leeds boss is aware that he will need his squad to step up if they are to finish in the top two and earn automatic promotion to the Premier League this season.
Leeds will need to find solutions beyond Piroe and Joseph and Bamford provides the experienced cover that could come in handy at the business end of the season.
His wages mean the forward is unlikely to leave in January and Leeds won’t sign a striker unless Bamford moves on in the winter window.
Farke could be forced into making a pragmatic compromise and ensure that the veteran striker feels wanted and valued in the squad for the rest of the season at least.
The Leeds boss was enthused by what he saw from the striker in his cameo against Preston and believes he is a good option to have in the squad when he is fit and ready to go.
“It’s beneficial for him, for several weeks, back in team training. A fit Patrick Bamford is always a good option”, Farke said in a press conference.
“Patrick looked lively, had a great chance and was unlucky.”
It will be down to his fitness
Bamford is a proven goalscorer in the Championship. He scored 16 times in 45 appearances in the 2019/20 season when Leeds got promoted to the Premier League.
The forward even proved himself in the top flight, scoring 17 times in 38 Premier League appearances in the 2020/21 campaign. However, we are a long way from Marcelo Bielsa warmly hugging Bamford in training.
Injuries have ravaged Bamford’s body and he is no longer the force that proved his worth in the first two tiers of English football. The goals have dried up and his fitness issues have stopped him from getting into any kind of rhythm.
However, Farke has hinted that he is prepared to use Bamford smartly in the second half of the season if the striker can remain fit and available.
The veteran forward is not the same player anymore but there could be juice left in him to ensure one last push to get Leed to the Premier League this season
He has the experience and nous as a striker to make a difference and could still play a major role in Leeds’ promotion push as long as his body doesn’t betray him.
