PREMIER LEAGUE
"IF HE MAINTAINS THIS FORM, BAMFORD MAY GO ON TO ESTABLISH HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE’S MOST PROLIFIC STRIKERS" BY: STEPHEN DONOVAN
BIG TIME BAMFORD THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
THE GOOD When Leeds United secured their long-awaited return to the Premier League last summer, much of the footballing public was quick to write off striker Patrick Bamford as someone who was unable to cut it at the highest level and score the goals required to guide his team to safety. But fast forward to the final weeks of the season and the Chelsea academy product has thrived, proving all the doubters wrong by ranking among the division’s leading marksmen. Despite having a strong record in the Championship and finishing as top scorer with 16 in their 2019-20 promotion success, the assumptions around Bamford were based on his previous record in the top-flight. He’d failed to make a senior appearance for Chelsea, while spells in the Premier League with four other clubs – Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Burnley, and Middlesbrough – produced a solitary goal. A closer look at the statistics suggests the consensus on Bamford coming into the season was harsh, as he’d barely started a Premier League with any of those sides and so hadn’t been given enough of a chance to show that
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SOCCER360 MAY • JUNE 2021
