Page 7 - We Are Premier League: LUFC Promotion YEP Special

34 I YORKSHIREEVENINGPOST mswyorkshireeveningpost.co.uk Saturday,July25,2020
WEAREPREMJERLEAGUfcLUFCSPECIALSUPPLEMEN^^^^^^
Bamford heads back to big
PROFILE
Lee Sobot
O lee.sobot@jpimedia.co.uk
O ©LeeSobotYEP
PATRICK BAMFORD became
a Premier League footballer
when he wasjust 18 years old.
Having madejust two
appearances for Nottingham
Forest, the striker made a
£i-5m switch to Chelsea in
January 2012.
Twenty-seven top-flight
outings followed, though none
with Chelsea.
But now Bamford is heading
back, and this time relishing
the opportunity ofa “fair crack
of the whip" to prove he is
indeed Premier League class.
Bamford is one of only six
members of Marcelo Bielsa’s
squad to have experienced
Premier League football along
with Pablo Hernandez, Helder
Costa, Adam Forshaw, Liam
Cooper and Tyler Roberts
with the latter making just one
appearance from the bench for
West Brom.
Like Forshaw, Bamford
gained experience of top-flight
football at Middlesbrough, in
addition to spells at Crystal
Palace, Norwich City and
Burnley.
Despite his move to Chelsea
as a teenager, a top-flight outing
for the Blues never materialised
despite Bamford excelling for
the club s Under-2is and in the
reserve league.
The striker then had loan
spells at MK Dons, Derby
County and Middlesbrough
before a Premier League debut
finally presented itself in
August 2015 as part ofanother
loan spell at Crystal Palace.
Bamford had signed a new
three-year deal with Chelsea
the previous month and the
next two seasons saw the
striker make 27 Premier League
appearances - with 19 of them
coming as part of loans at throe
different clubs.
After making six top-flight
HEAD FIRST: Patrick Bamford goes close with an effort in the win at Swansea City earlier this month.
PICTURE: NICKPOTTS/PA
A first Premier League goal
then arrived four months
later in the 2-1 loss at home
to Southampton but by then
Middlesbrough had already
appearances from the bench
for Palace, Bamford spent the
second half of the season on
loan at Norwich where another
seven Premier League outings
were in the offing, two starts
and five from the bench.
The 2016-17 campaign then
began with yet another loan
spell - to Burnley - and after
six more games as a Premier
League substitute Bamford
then signed for Middlesbrough
for £5-5m in January 2017,
ending five years at Chelsea.
We'd like to congratulate Leeds
United football club, and all involved,
on winning the Championship
and returning to where we belong.
"in Bielsa we trust"
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