Patrick Bamford will get something he didn't last year after impressive Sheffield United impact
Patrick Bamford scored 13 goals after joining Sheffield United last November - and supporters will be hoping for even more from him next season.
Few players impressed for Sheffield United more than Patrick Bamford this season.
Signed on a free transfer in November to give the Blades a much-needed presence at the top end of the pitch, the former Leeds United man plundered 13 goals across all competitions in just 29 games to finish the campaign as the club’s leading goalscorer.
Following manager Chris Wilder’s return to the club last September, the boyhood Blade quickly outlined the need to bring in a natural No.9 after Kieffer Moore had been allowed to join Wrexham during the summer transfer window.
A number of United supporters expressed concerns at the juncture of Bamford’s arrival, pointing to his injury record, but he soon silenced his doubters, scoring five goals in his first eight appearances in United colours. As Wilder hoped, he brought a focal point to the attack, providing both goals and the ability to link the play.
Making his debut in the Blades’ 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, stepping off the bench with 20 minutes to go, it marked Bamford’s first appearance since featuring in the closing stages of Leeds’ 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on the final day of the 2024/25 season.
He was informed by Leeds boss Daniel Farke towards the end of July, ahead of their pre-season opener against Manchester United in Stockholm, that he was not part of his plans for the forthcoming campaign following the club’s return to the Premier League.
Farke said: "I had a really open and honest conversation with Patrick, which was important. He knows how much I rate him as a player and I would have preferred a fit Patrick Bamford for the last two seasons.
"But he is a player who needs to be the main man. He needs an arm round the shoulder after some difficult seasons. I was not willing to tell him he was the main man at Premier League level.
"In the second day of pre-season, I got him into my office and told him he is not in my plans for the upcoming season. It would have been easy for me to hide behind the sporting director or wait until we got someone else in, but he has done so much for this club, he deserves respect and transparency."
After playing no part in the Whites’ pre-season preparations and their opening three games of the season, he was released after seven years at Elland Road. He spent the summer training with Leeds’ Under-21s after being informed he wasn’t part of Farke’s plans.
To have gone without a proper pre-season, Bamford did exceptionally well to keep himself in shape and hit the ground running in the manner he did after joining the Blades almost three months after being let go by Leeds. He ended the season with 12 Championship goals to his name, meaning he was one of the most impactful signings made by a second tier club this season.
To have done that without a proper pre-season campaign under his belt deserves great credit. He kept himself in shape prior to joining the Blades, spending time training with Coventry City, who did almost sign him, but nothing compares to a proper pre-season campaign, featuring both work on the training ground and match action.
Although a summer of change is on the horizon at Bramall Lane amid Wilder’s wish to reshape his squad, Bamford is one of only a handful of players guaranteed a place in his plans next term. He excelled after arriving in S2, and he is expected to retain his place as the Blades’ chief striker.
And if Wilder’s pre-season plans are anything to go by, United will be hoping to see an even better version of the 32-year-old next term.
“Huge pre-season ahead of us,” Wilder said last month. “Possibly the biggest pre-season that I've had in my time here, or one of them, I would say.
“Pre-season is all laid out, every day, every session, all the games. I'm sure that that will come out to the public pretty soon. But all the games are lined up. Pre-season tour, another game as well to be announced. So everything's in place.”
With a demanding pre-season on the horizon that is set to push United’s players to the maximum, it should provide Blades supporters with encouragement that an even better version of Bamford could be on show next term.