Patrick Bamford Named Sky Bet Championship Player Of The Year
Patrick Bamford was last night named the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Year at the Football League awards ceremony. The 21 year old striker is currently at Middlesbrough, having been sent on loan from Chelsea FC.
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Bamford has been in fine form for Boro this season, netting 17 goals in 37 league appearances while also creating 26 chances for his team-mates. Furthermore, he has been central to Middlesbrough’s push for the title scoring ten times in the last 17 league games.
His stellar form has ensured that Middlesbrough have remained contenders in what is now a four horse race for the Championship crown. Should Boro manage to outlast the opposition, it will result in their return to Premier League six years after they were relegated in the summer of 2009.
having him waste away on the bench with limited playing time will hamper his chances of fulfilling his potential
Bamford was signed by the Blues in January 2012 as an 18 year old prospect from Nottingham Forest. Despite only having appeared twice in Forest’s senior team, Chelsea parted with a reported £1.5 million to bring him to West London. The fact that his contract was also set to expire at the end of the season shows how highly Chelsea rated the English forward. (People who played some of the earlier Football Manager games would also agree.)
Chelsea then sent the youngster out on loan to MK Dons, where he scored 18 goals in 37 league appearances, before netting eight in 21 for Derby County. However, this season the Blues sent him to Middlesbrough where he has really been able to come into his own, resulting in this award.
So, how does this figure for the next campaign?
The champions-elect currently have three strikers in their first team squad: Diego Costa, Loic Remy and Didier Drogba. While the first two have shown their worth to the cause this season, unfortunately for Drogba it appears as though his time at this level is up. Hence, there is potentially a 3rd striker spot for Bamford to fill should Mourinho want him as part of his plans come August.
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However, there are doubts that this would be a smart move for the promising front-line leader. Bamford clearly has the talent to evolve into a leading top division striker in the future, and so having him waste away on the bench with limited playing time may seriously hamper his chances of fulfilling his potential. Bearing this in mind, a further loan move must be the way to go next season.
There is also a large chance that Middlesbrough will be playing in the next Premier League campaign and thus extending his stay on Teesside, which Boro would in no way be adverse to, could be the best deal for all parties involved. He will undoubtedly continue to spearhead the attack for Boro should he stay and the experience that he would gain would do nothing but accelerate his growth as a player.
Furthermore, should he not feature in the Mourinho’s long term plans (which is often unfortunately the case at the big clubs), a move such as this should do nothing but increase his value and allow Chelsea to cash out handsomely in the coming years.
All in all, Bamford has been terrific for Middlesbrough this season and has shown why Chelsea took a punt on the player three years ago. For the next year there are numerous options (some Premier League clubs will surely also be interested) but none of the smart ones involve him lining up in blue.
Let’s see how this pans out then.