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Patrick Bamford: Blackburn linked with striker but Leeds should be wary – analysis

Patrick Bamford has not scored a goal for Leeds United in close to nine months and is still looking to hit the back of the net for the first time this season. Injuries have taken a physical toll on his body and he has not looked like scoring a goal for the Whites this term. There are calls for Leeds to sell him in the winter window and Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace has confirmed the club’s interest in the forward. However, Leeds should be wary of selling Bamford to a Championship club, especially a side who are in the mix for promotion this season. More importantly, Leeds would be left short in the forward line if the veteran striker moves on in the middle of the season.

Bamford has been a pale shadow of his former self in recent months and is still waiting to get the first start of the season in the Championship. The striker has struggled to get into the team and has not looked like getting on the scoresheet.

The 31-year-old forward has played a grand total of 123 minutes of Championship football across 10 substitute appearances and is again dealing with an injury at the moment.

He still has 18 months left on his Leeds contract but there is an expectation that the striker won’t be at Elland Road by the time the 2025/26 season rolls out, regardless of which division the club will be in.

Bamford has even been linked with a move in the winter window and Blackburn are interested in taking a gamble on the striker before the window closes on 3rd February.

Eustace confirmed that he is on the list of strikers the club are considering but it is unclear whether they will make a concrete move for him in the coming weeks.

However, despite all of Bamford’s struggles this season, Leeds should be doubly wary of moving on the striker and letting him join a Championship rival in the middle of the season.

Patrick Bamford is still a proven commodity in the Championship

Patrick Bamford has looked listless and often not physically in the right place when he has been on the pitch this season. He has yet to score a goal and has failed to provide proper cover for Joel Piroe.

Leeds would consider selling him if the right offer comes along before the window closes on 3rd February but there is an argument to hold on to him until the end of the season.

While the 31-year-old has not looked at his best this season, a change of scenery and a new surrounding could again bring the best out of him in the latter half of the season.

Blackburn have looked like a good attacking unit this season and a striker of Bamford’s experience could thrive in the team developed by Eustace this term.

They are also in the mix for promotion and it would be an embarrassment for Leeds if Bamford bangs in the goals for a team who are pushing to get to the Premier League.

Leeds have a paucity of strikers

Joel Piroe is Leeds’ top scorer with ten goals and since others have chipped in with goals, the Whites are the top scorers in the Championship this season.

However, beyond Piroe, Leeds’ cupboard for strikers is bare. Mateo Joseph has scored just twice this season and is not threatening the Dutchman’s place in the starting eleven.

Piroe has been the best forward for Leeds this season but an injury to him, Daniel Farke would be scratching his head to find solutions up front.

Joseph has not scored since the middle of October and while Bamford is yet to hit the back of the net, the veteran striker remains a more proven performer at this level than the Spaniard.

Joseph would be the only striker left in their squad as cover for Piroe for the latter half of the campaign if Leeds decide to sell Bamford this month.

It’s the kind of risk Leeds would not want to take in a season where they are desperate to get back to the Premier League.

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