It’s not everyday we find ourselves agreeing with Tim Sherwood. But, with Leeds United’s relegation fears growing exponentially following Saturday’s insipid 1-0 Premier League defeat to Everton, it was difficult not to nod along with the former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa boss.
“Patrick Bamford, he’s a shadow of his old self,” Sherwood told Sky Sports (18 February, 4.30pm). “Unfortunately for Leeds.”
Unfortunate indeed. That is a word which could describe Bamford’s last 18 months as a whole, a series of niggling injuries making that remarkable 2020/21 campaign – Leeds’ number nine scoring 17 times while earning himself an England call-up – feel like almost decades ago.
If Michael Skubala had the Bamford of 2021 at his disposal, Leeds might have returned home from Goodison Park with at least a point in their pockets. What little the visitors did produce during a turgid display fell the way of the one-time Chelsea youngster; Bamford miskicking a loose ball when it looked easier to score. A moment which summed up Leeds’ afternoon, and arguably their season as a whole.
Patrick Bamford struggling for goals at Leeds United
But, with Rodrigo Moreno out of action and Georginio Rutter still adapting, there is not much Skubala can do but pray that Bamford not only stays fit (a big ask perhaps), and rediscovers the form that made him an outsider for the Golden Boot before those debilitating fitness issues kicked in.
That Bamford, injury-prone and nearly 30 years old, remains Leeds’ only ‘proper’ number nine is a rather damning indictment, meanwhile, on Victor Orta’s rather hit-and-miss recruitment. Regardless of which division Leeds find themselves in come July, a new centre-forward is a must.
The Yorkshire giants were reportedly weighing up a £14 million bid for Coventry City talisman Viktor Gyokeres before turning their attention to Rutter in January, per TEAMtalk, but it need not be a case of ‘one or the other’. There is nothing to suggest that the Swede and the Frenchman cannot feature together in the same starting XI; Gyokeres in the Bamford role, Rutter drifting out to the flanks in a manner reminiscent of his time at Hoffenheim.
Gyokeres shares a few distinct similarities with a younger, fitter Bamford. His velvet touch belies a rangy 6ft 2ins frame, and there is arguably not a more complete striker in the whole of the Championship; strong, quick, an emphatic finisher and an excellent ball-carrier.
His 12.6 per cent shot conversion rate, meanwhile, is similar to Bamford’s from the Marcelo Bielsa era (FotMob). The latter, in contrast, scores with just over two per cent of his shots at present.
‘Unbelievable’
“Unbelievable,” Coventry boss Mark Robins said after Gyokeres thumped a shot into the back of the Millwall net last week; the former Swansea youngster once again producing something out of nothing.
“An unbelievable finish. He must be 25 yards out, and he’s buried it. But he does it so effortlessly. The power is incredible, and it was worthy of winning any game.
“That’s just his mentality, he’s really focused, he’s a brilliant kid, he’s really good to have around. He’s honest, straightforward, focused, determined. Bery selfish as strikers are generally, but he’s learning to pass the ball.”
With Gyokeres’ price-tag already edging towards the £20 million mark, time will tell if the boat, as far as Leeds are concerned, has already left the harbour. Either way, another season with Bamford as your number nine is just asking for trouble.
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