According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal have been offered the opportunity to fill a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang-shaped hole in Mikel Arteta’s frontline with a 31-year-old crying out for a fresh start and a place to call home.
But Arsenal are not the only Premier League club who’s attacking options, as things stand, would make Tottenham Hotspur’s trophy cabinet look positively stacked.
And there’s no shame in missing out on a place on the podium to Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and penalty-kick king Bruno Fernandes.
But if one moment summed up Bamford’s second season as a first-choice Premier League, it came during the dying seconds of December’s 2-2 home draw with Brentford at Elland Road. Snatching a point from the jaws of defeat with the sort of poacher’s finish that has become his trademark under Marcelo Bielsa, Bamford wheeled away in celebration, a whirlwind of limbs greeting his last-gasp equaliser.
Those roars of delight soon turned to groans of despair, however. It transpired that Leeds’ talismanic centre-forward injured had himself in the aftermath.
He’s yet to make his return.
Yes, Leeds have been accused of succumbing to ‘second album syndrome’ in recent months. But can you really recapture the glory of your heyday when shorn of your swaggering frontman?
Bamford hasn’t started a league game since September. No wonder Leeds have made a difficult fist of their follow-up campaign.
Do Leeds need to replace Patrick Bamford?
So, back to that aforementioned 31-year-old free-agent.
The name ‘Ze Luis’ may be a familiar one to Leeds fans. Those with long memories at least.
According to Russian publication Championnat, the Yorkshire giants went as far as to submit a bid for Ze Luis back in January 2019, when the Cape Verde international was leading the line for Spartak Moscow.
Now, short-term quick fixes are not really Bielsa’s style. As stubborn as ever and married to the methods that have served him so well during three decades in management, Bielsa is more comfortable promoting from within, giving chances to a wide-eyed youngsters well-versed in his sweat-shedding style, than with bringing in an outside hire.
But Ze Luis, a free-agent after leaving Lokomotiv Moscow in January, should at least be a point of discussion.
Especially after Bielsa struck fear into the heart of Leeds supporters in his Monday press conference. Bamford, he says, is no closer to a long-awaited return to first-team action (Yorkshire Post).
Ze Luis, a former Porto frontman, is excellent in the air, skilful and direct with the ball at his feet and, most importantly of all, an excellent finisher.
His arrival would free up Daniel James to return to his favoured wide role. It would also ease the burden on a thrilling yet flawed Joe Gelhardt.
Then again, this is Bielsa we’re talking about. For better or for worse, you’d get longer odds on hell freezing over than the Leeds boss breaking from tradition.
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