Former Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is set to join Chris Wilder and Sheffield United according to reports. The 32-year-old has been without a club since leaving Elland Road this summer.
His departure was among a series of ruthless decisions taken by Daniel Farke during pre-season. The Leeds boss revealed that he will not be counting on Bamford as the Whites make their return to the Premier League. And the German coach had every right to take that course of action; the striker had been dealing with injuries and fitness problems in previous seasons and as such was rarely available.
| Season | Appearances | Games Missed |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 17 | 16 |
| 2023/24 | 33 | 10 |
| 2022/23 | 28 | 5 |
Bamford’s seven-year stint in West Yorkshire came to an end when he and Leeds agreed to mutually terminate his contract in August. It was believed that he would join a new club before the season began, but that was not the case.
Patrick Bamford set for shock Sheffield United move
But now, over three months into the new football season, it is now being reported that the striker is close to joining a new team. The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath is reporting that the one-time England forward is in talks with Sheffield United and Chris Wilder. This news comes as a bit of a surprise considering that transfer links involving Bamford had died down over the past few weeks.
| Club | Games Played | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Forest | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| MK Dons | 37 | 18 | 3 |
| Derby County | 21 | 8 | 2 |
| Norwich City | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Crystal Palace | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Burnley | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Middlesbrough | 93 | 33 | 4 |
| Leeds United | 204 | 60 | 20 |
The striker has been training with Frank Lampard’s Coventry City in recent weeks to gain fitness. A move to Getafe was discussed over a month ago, but the Spanish side decided against a move. If Bamford does join the Blades, he links up with manager Wilder, who Leeds fans will remember for an infamous incident near the end of last season.
Bamford was seen starting a chant calling the Blades boss a ”w*****” during celebrations after automatic promotion was confirmed. Wilder started the feud a few years ago when he called out Bamford, and Adam Forshaw, labelling them as ”muppets”. The duo seem to have buried the hatchet since then with Wilder revealing that he spoke to Bamford after the chant incident.
“I’m a big boy, you give it you take it,” he said. “You give it out locally, you take it locally as I’ve always done. We have our moments, other teams have their moments.
“I had a conversation with Pat yesterday and I’ve no issue at all with it.
“I’m not sure about the words from a fellow pro, but I appreciate and respected him giving me a call and we had 20 minutes.”
Bamford to solve Sheffield United striker problems
Sheffield United have not been in the best of shape since the season started. It was very surprising considering the Blades finished in the top three in the Championship last season. New manager Ruben Selles got off to a poor start and was sacked after just six games with Chris Wilder making a surprise return.
Since the 58-year old took over, the team have improved marginally, but they still lack a presence up front, something Wilder has been vocal about. The Blades have scored just 11 goals this season, and will hope Bamford’s arrival could turn their fortunes around as they hope to climb up the Championship table.
| Statistic | Value | League Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals Scored | 11 | 23rd |
| Big Chances Created | 27 | 14th |
| Big Chances Missed | 20 | 9th |
| Shots per Game | 12.4 | 12th |
For Leeds fans, it’s a bitter-sweet moment with many likely pleased Bamford has found a new club. The former Whites no.9 helped the club to two promotions while at Elland Road, with the first one under Marcelo Bielsa a particular highlight. In his first season with Leeds in the Premier League, Bamford scored 17 Premier League goals and earned an England call-up.
Following that season, Bamford struggled to regain his old form. He was not alone in players struggling following Bielsa’s departure. Following Leeds relegation in 2023, there were hopes Bamford could fire again in the Championship, but barring a brief purple patch in the 2023-24 season under Daniel Farke, he could never find fitness and get a consistent run in the side.
His final season at Leeds saw him fail to register a single of Leeds’ 95 goals despite 17 appearances. Many of those were off the bench but fans were frustrated at times with Bamford when he did play. That summed up Pat’s time at Elland Road with the striker’s impact, or lack of it, often splitting the fanbase.
But his move to Sheffield United will surprise many Leeds fans given his history with Wilder. As the club’s are now in separate divisions and because of the way Bamford was cut off by Leeds after a long time at the club, many will forgive him for the move to a Yorkshire rival. It remains to be seen how he will perform at Bramall Lane, but eyes will firstly be focused on what happens as much off the pitch as they will on it, with many interested to see how Wilder and Bamford greet each other, especially given what’s gone before between them.
