The summer transfer window slammed shut towards the end of August but that has not stopped transfer rumours from circling around Leeds United.
Injuries to Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu have left the Whites in a difficult position, as Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka are the only recognised, senior, central midfield options.
The West Yorkshire outfit were recently linked with an interest in out-of-contract defensive midfielder Chiekhou Kouyate, who has been a free agent since his exit from Premier League side Nottingham Forest at the end of last season.
It had been reported that Leeds have decided to pull out of their interest in the 34-year-old veteran but the latest reports indicate that they have now decided to sign him, and the midfielder is due to undergo a medical this week.
The Whites have also been linked with FCSB central defender Joyskim Dawa ahead of the upcoming January transfer window, with the Cameroon international reportedly available for a fee of around £4m.
Whilst Daniel Farke and his staff appear to already be looking at player who they could bring to Elland Road at the start of next year, they may also have to consider potential exits – amid reported unrest from one of their forwards.
Leeds forward considering exit
According to Football Insider, centre-forward Patrick Bamford is considering a move away from the club in the next summer transfer window.
His current deal is due to end at the end of the 2025/26 campaign and the former England international ‘wants to quit’ and join a new team a year before that happens.
The report claims that the experienced marksman is growing frustrated under Farke this season, due to his lack of minutes on the pitch, and that has caused him to consider a transfer away from Yorkshire.
It states that a ‘split’ between Bamford and Leeds is growing more and more likely, as Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph have snuck in ahead of him in the pecking order.
Football Insider adds that an agreement could be reached between the two parties to consider reasonable offers for the former Middlesbrough striker, if they come, at the end of the season.
However, it does not reveal how much the Whites would want from any potentially interested club in order to convince them to part ways with the third-choice attacker.
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With this latest news in mind, however, Farke must brutally bin the forward as soon as possible, preferably in January, as he currently earns more than Joseph and Piroe combined.
The wages of Leeds United's strikers
Bamford is reportedly the highest earner in the club, on £70k-per-week, and that is more than twice as much as the other two strikers in the squad are on combined.
Piroe and Joseph are both reportedly on £15k-per-week at Elland Road, combining for £30k-per-week, and are both ahead of the Englishman in the pecking order under Farke this season.
It does not appear as though Leeds are getting value for money on Bamford’s contract when you consider that he has played fewer minutes than both of his teammates this season.
Appearances
9
9
Starts
8
2
Goals
1
4
Big chances created
4
0
Assists
3
1
As you can see in the table above, Joseph has started eight of the club’s nine matches in the division so far, and Piroe has started two – one of which came in an attacking midfield role.
Farke has an interesting choice between the two centre-forwards. The Dutchman offers a pure goalscoring threat in the final third but little in the way of creativity, whilst the Spain U21 international has struggled to score goals but has been a huge creative presence for the Whites.
These statistics show that Leeds have two strikers who can compete and play regularly at Championship level, offering quality in different areas of the game, and that is why there is no current need for Bamford in a team that only plays with one striker.
Piroe and Joseph should be enough firepower to keep the Whites ticking over for the remainder of the season, if the club opts to brutally part ways with the dud in January.
Why Leeds should sell Patrick Bamford
Firstly, this latest report suggests that Bamford wants to move on from Elland Road and Leeds should not want to keep a player who is not fully committed to the team.
If his head is elsewhere and he is considering an exit, Farke should move him on from the group as quickly as possible and that means that a transfer in January would be preferable to one in the summer.
It would also save a considerable sum of wages, given his £70k-per-week pay packet, if they can find a team willing to spend a fee and take on his wages at the start of next year.
His struggles on the pitch for Leeds in recent seasons also suggest that Leeds should be looking to move him on from the club, as his performances have not justified his wages.
Bamford scored four goals from an xG of 8.61 in the Premier League as the Whites were relegated from the top-flight in the 2022/23 campaign.
Appearances
33
xG
9.52
Goals
8
Big chances missed
9
Assists
1
As you can see in the table above, the Englishman did not make the most of the opportunities that came his way in the Championship under Farke last season, missing nine ‘big chances’ and underperforming against his xG.
The 31-year-old dud also rarely offered quality as a creator for his teammates, with one assist in 33 matches, and these statistics do not suggest that Bamford is a valuable asset to the Whites on the pitch.
Therefore, he is an expendable member of the squad, with Piroe and Joseph ahead of him this season, and the club must brutally bin him during the next transfer window, to save his wages and part ways with a player who wants to leave.
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