Leeds United continued their pre-season preparations over the weekend as they held Manchester United to a 0-0 draw in their latest friendly ahead of the Premier League season.
Daniel Farke’s side boasted new signings Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Gabriel Gudmundsson, and Sean Longstaff, whilst the Whites are also set for another new face.
As you can see in the post from Graham Smyth above, Hoffenheim central midfielder Anton Stach is closing in on a permanent move to Elland Road from the Bundesliga outfit.
One player who is not going to be a part of the squad for next season, though, is experienced striker Patrick Bamford, who has been told that he is not in Farke’s plans.
The German head coach has confirmed that he has spoken with the English forward to tell him that he will be training with the U21 team until he can find a new club.
It is now down to Leeds and Bamford to find an ideal solution for him before the end of the summer transfer window, with one year remaining on his contract.
Why Patrick Bamford is not in Daniel Farke's plans
Farke explained his thought process behind his decision on the long-serving Whites number nine, saying: “Patrick is a player who needs right now, at this stage, to be the main man right. He needs the backing, the arm around the shoulder, after difficult years to be there was confidence. And then if Patrick gets this he will score goals.
“He will score on each every level because he’s a top player. But after the last two seasons, I was not willing to say come on you are right now our main man on a permanent level.”
This suggests that the decision has been made with both the club’s and Bamford’s best interests at heart, as it will allow the player to go and pursue a move that would see him play regularly, whilst potentially creating space for Leeds to bring in another forward to improve their team.
24/25 (Championship)
17
0
2.11
0
23/24 (Championship)
33
15
9.52
8
22/23 (Premier League)
28
18
8.61
4
21/22 (Premier League)
9
7
N/A
2
20/21 (Premier League)
38
37
N/A
17
As you can see in the table above, the veteran striker is not the same player he was when he took the Premier League by storm under Marcelo Bielsa in the 2020/21 campaign.
His form in the last three seasons does not suggest that he is likely to make enough of an impact at the top level to be a genuine starting-calibre option, which is why it is the right call to allow him to move on.
Leeds plotting bid for new striker
Leeds, who have already signed Lukas Nmecha, are in the market to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch before the summer transfer window slams shut.
Transfer Focus
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According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, the Championship champions remain interested in a deal to sign Fulham centre-forward Rodrigo Muniz.
The reporter claims that the West Yorkshire outfit are hoping to bank some cash from a sale of Mateo Joseph, whom they value at £10m, to fund a new bid to tempt the Cottagers into cashing in on the Brazilian striker.
He states that Celta Vigo, who have money to spend after selling Fer Lopez to Wolves, and Real Betis are both eyeing up a potential swoop for Joseph this summer.
Muniz has reportedly been valued at £50m by Fulham, though, and it remains to be seen how much Leeds will be able to spend on him, even if they bank £10m for the Spanish youngster.
Why Muniz would be a huge upgrade on Bamford
Bamford being moved on because Farke cannot guarantee that he will be the main man in the Premier League makes even more sense when you consider the club’s ongoing pursuit of Muniz.
The Brazilian centre-forward would arrive at Elland Road as a huge upgrade on the former Chelsea and Middlesbrough man, as a star who has showcased his quality in the Premier League in the last two seasons.
As you can see in the graphic above, Muniz is already an experienced forward in the top-flight, with 17 goals to his name for the Cottagers to date.
The 24-year-old marksman, who was hailed as “seriously impressive” by analyst Ben Mattinson, has performed even better at Premier League level than Bamford has in the Championship in the last two seasons, hence why he would be a huge upgrade for Leeds in the number nine position.
Appearances
57
50
Starts
26
15
xG
14.43
11.63
Goals
17
8
Big chances created
3
1
Assists
2
1
As you can see in the table above, Muniz has scored nine more goals and provided one more assist than the Whites attacker in the last two years, whilst playing at a higher level.
These statistics show that the Brazilian striker is an efficient and clinical centre-forward who can make the most of the chances that are created for him, outperforming his xG by more than two goals.
Whereas Bamford’s finishing let the team down far too often, underperforming his xG by almost four goals in the Championship in that time, which suggests that he may have been a liability in front of goal in the Premier League next season.
This further explains why Farke’s decision to leave the striker out of his squad for the 2025/26 campaign makes a lot of sense, as the club are looking to bring in a forward who would be a huge upgrade on him in the top-flight.
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However, it is now down to Leeds to find Bamford a new club and to secure a deal with Fulham to bring Muniz to West Yorkshire before the end of the window.