Chelsea FC loanee Patrick Bamford has terminated his loan spell at Crystal Palace, according to himself.
Following Crystal Palace’s scoreless draw with Swansea City, Patrick Bamford announced that he was ending his loan deal with the Eagles and would return to Chelsea. However, even though it has been close to 24 hours since his comments, neither club have confirmed this termination.
Bamford has made just nine appearances for Alan Pardew’s side this season, with only two of them being starts. Consequently, he had some strong words to describe how the last three or four months have gone.
"This was my last game for Palace. If I were being honest, it has been terrible. No one wants to sit on the bench and not play."
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It has truly been a frustrating spell of epic proportions. When the deal was announced for the 22-year-old, everyone was excited about the prospect of seeing the talented youngster receive regular Premier League playing time. It was a necessary move for his development and Palace was arguably the dream club with which to do so.
Unfortunately, concerns about the number of forwards on the Eagles’ books have been realised as Bamford has failed to make an impression. The striker didn’t help himself either, putting in an awful display when given the start against Shrewsbury Town back in August. Pardew even admitted that it was a rough night for the Chelsea man and he has only been granted one start since (in a 5-1 League Cup loss to Manchester City).
If anything, Bamford has regressed during this 2015/16 season and cutting short this intended year-long loan is probably best for the forward.
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Furthermore, minimal blame can be pinned on Pardew. The Palace boss has his side flying high in 5th place so there is little reason to change the formula that he has thus far employed. The fact is that such a formula does not involve Bamford.
However, while the striker has announced his return, he had not told Pardew before informing the reporters and neither club have released any confirmation since. With his comments and the evidently dire situation that he is in, it is only a matter of time, but the somewhat informal way in which he has ended his spell underlines his frustration.
It is believed that Chelsea will look to repackage and ship him out on a more productive loan upon his return. There is an argument for even keeping him at Stamford Bridge, either to resurrect his confidence at the hands of the coaching staff or act a back-up to the first team.
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Whatever the next step, it will be a crucial one in his career. At the age of 22, he needs matters to fall favourably for him if he is to fulfill his potential as a top level Premier League striker.
All quotes taken from Sky Sports.