Leeds: Farke may unleash a Bamford upgrade in the adolescent “goal machine”
A Patrick Bamford improvement in a teenage “goal machine” might be secured for the Whites.
Leeds United’s start to the season has been less than ideal, but there have been some positives to come out of a Championship campaign that has seen them win just one of their first five games.
Daniel Farke appears to be still battling to put together his ideal side, and when experimenting over the weekend, he soon realized that Georginio Rutter is not a number nine.Leeds: Farke may unleash a Bamford upgrade in the adolescent “goal machine”
A Patrick Bamford improvement in a teenage “goal machine” might be secured for the Whites.
Many questioned why Joel Piroe had been recruited for great money only to be virtually dropped into midfield, and with reason, just a week after displaying his killer instincts with a true poacher’s finish from close range.
While the fans will most likely beg their German coach to return to the formula that saw them score four goals away from home against Ipswich Town, if he continues to play the former Swansea City man deeper, he will need another centre-forward with the ability to hit the ground running.
Many might look to the wide men who have enjoyed stints in such a role to occupy the position, or even to the academy for those deserving of a call-up.
However, all these suggestions dance around the question of where exactly is Patrick Bamford?
Where is Patrick Bamford?
As the man who had so often been their star talisman, helping spearhead their return to the Premier League before starring upon their first season back in the top flight, a string of injuries saw the 30-year-old’s influence wane dramatically.
Then, throughout last campaign’s debacle, a clear loss of confidence led to a string of golden opportunities squandered, which proved costly in the end. Striking wide from point-blank range against relegation rivals Leicester City stands out as the key blunder, with the points they would have gained being integral.
Despite this, many may wonder why he hasn’t been in the match-day squad despite his obvious talent, with the solution being another injury.
The Whites were dealt a series of blows just before their season opener against Cardiff City in early August, when key stars were injured. Bamford was one of them, and his condition was regarded to be significantly worse than that of Georginio Rutter and Mateo Joseph.
“Sadly we’ve had some injuries during the last seven days. Patrick Bamford has a hamstring injury and won’t return before the first international break so he’ll miss the next games,” Farke noted, with a lack of clinical finishing proving to be their undoing after just five games played.
They are crying out for someone to come in and snuff up the chances they are forging, and if Farke is intent on Piroe instead helping with the build-up, they clearly need someone to fulfil that role. After all, the Yorkshire outfit are averaging 59.4% possession in the second tier, raining down an average of 15.4 shots per game too despite having notched only seven goals, via Sofascore.
Bamford scored 16 times in the league the last time they were in this division, and then upon earning promotion would score a further 17 in the English top flight, even assisting eight too. Such form even drew praise from Jurgen Klopp: “Top player, Bamford. I can remember before the season I heard on talkSPORT that people said, ‘Leeds need a proper goalscorer, Bamford is not good enough’. I’m so happy that he could prove them wrong, he’s an exceptional player, perfect.
“The work rate is outstanding and still playing the football he plays on top of that and scoring goals, that’s rare. They have a lot of interesting players but Bamford I’m happy for him, don’t know him obviously but it’s a nice career, a little bit later than others but still very impressive.”
And yet, it could be argued that he is still not the outstanding candidate to take such a mantle, with an in-form youngster in Sonny Perkins surely meriting a start should his loan spell prove fruitful.
Who is Sonny Perkins?
Despite his impressive start to his tenure at Elland Road, having joined from West Ham United just last summer, Perkins was sent out on loan just last month likely in an effort to toughen him up in preparation for the top two English leagues.
After all, he has already showcased his fine form in front of goal on numerous occasions, and should he bulk up to the requisite physicality, it could prove bad news for the rest of the Championship.
Last season, the 19-year-old settled into life in Yorkshire with 11 goals and three assists in the Premier League 2, as well as strikes in the playoffs, the EFL Trophy, and even the FA Cup, where he scored his first senior goal.
The adolescent finisher’s consistency is highlighted by his 2021/22 performances, with another 12 goals in the same league.
Given that Bamford has battled to make even 25 league starts in the last two seasons, Perkins would be an upgrade on the aging marksman simply because of his availability.
Not to mention that Rutter, his alternative, has scored just one goal across 18 senior appearances despite joining for a club-record fee. The former Hammers starlet managed this in 14 fewer games.
Michael Skubala, the U21 boss, has been effusive in his praise for the reliable goalscorer since joining: “So we’ve got this little thing going on the dressing room, like ‘don’t let me down today’. He’s brilliant, but I think he’s hit the ground running and I think you can see him growing.
“He’s strong. He’s a goal machine. We have to be patient because he’s still got things to work on in the way we want to play but I think he’s pleased at the minute and we’re pleased with his progression.”
The hope is that he can translate such form into senior football with Oxford United, with the plan surely to bring him back as the triumphant answer to their goalscoring woes in January or next summer.
Perkins is clinical, fast, direct and everything Farke’s side have been lacking, with his exceedingly bright future hopefully set to be closer than expected in an effort to usurp all the competition and star alongside Piroe rather than instead of.
