Leeds United are now open to signing Patrick Bamford after revealing a £30,000-a-week deal.
Leeds United are likely to make offers for Patrick Bamford in the January transfer window, according to Football League Paper editor Chris Dunlavy.
Bamford, 29, is yet to feature in the matchday squad this season after picking up a hamstring injury in a friendly against Hearts.
He is expected to return after the international break, but Dunlavy does not see how England international Daniel Farke can feature in the plans.
Writing in The Football League Paper on Sunday (September 3, page seven), Dunlavy said: “Now the club have new striker Joel Piroes, the question has to be asked: does Bamford have a future at Elland Road?
“Piroe is definitely the first choice. As well as costing Swansea £10m, the Dutchman has scored 44 league goals in two seasons. It cannot be ignored.
“Georginio Rutter will also start if he is fit, if only to justify Leeds’ £30m fee for Hoffenheim in January.
“If Willy Gnonto can also play up front, Bamford is third choice at best. Can a man who has played for England take that belly off? “Most obviously, Bamford signed for a £70,000-a-week [deal] that doesn’t expire until 2026. Having a £30,000-a-week replacement on your balance sheet doesn’t make a lot of sense financially and it would be very surprising if Leeds weren’t actively asking for offers in January .
Bamford would likely have taken a pay cut following Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League.
Will Bamford leave Leeds?
It is unlikely that this short-term injury would have prevented clubs from signing Bamford in the summer transfer window.
More likely, clubs will be put off by the fact that since the end of the 2020/21 season, when he scored 17 Premier League goals, he has played just 42 times in all competitions. Last season, his appearances on the pitch were mostly limited to subs or an hour or so when he started. He averaged just 54 minutes per game in the Premier League, of which he played 28 minutes.
He scored four goals, two of which were consolations in a 5–1 loss to Crystal Palace and a 4–1 loss to Bournemouth.
If Leeds are paying him £30,000-a-week to be a bench-warmer in the Championship – or just another name on the injury list – something needs to be done in January.
But the problem is that it is unlikely that many clubs will want to sign him. Bamford doesn’t seem to have a Premier League club and Leeds could resist a move in the Championship as he could come back to bite them.
What could happen is that Bamford makes a loan purchase in January or even goes elsewhere in the world. Would Rangers or Celtics want him? What about the Saudi Arabian team? There have been strange transmissions.
