Chelsea FC have loaned out Patrick Bamford to Norwich City, as the Englishman heads off for the second time this season.
Patrick Bamford will spend the rest of the season with Norwich City after Chelsea confirmed that a loan deal between the involved parties has been successfully negotiated. Having endured a disastrous spell with Crystal Palace earlier on, Bamford will be hoping that this move is more fruitful.
"Patrick Bamford has today agreed to join Norwich City on loan until the end of the season. The forward, 22, will link up with Alex Neil’s side ahead of their fixture against Tottenham on Tuesday night. – via chelseafc.com"
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Bamford has recently embodied the frustrations that accompany Chelsea’s extensive youth set-up. The striker has always been a fantastic prospect, but at the moment he seems destined to disappoint. His loan spell at Selhurst Park during the first half of the season was beyond catastrophic. He only featured nine times for the Eagles, with just two of them coming as starts.
Furthermore, he failed to impress during those Capital One Cup opportunities, with Alan Pardew even admitting that he ‘did not have his best night’ after starting against Shrewsbury Town. Bamford terminated his loan deal prematurely at the end of December and returned to Stamford Bridge.
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Despite this disaster, it has been widely expected that he would be sent out again with Guus Hiddink stating that he would have to prove himself before joining the senior squad. Fortunately, this Canaries switch already seems more promising.
Palace had an abundance of forwards on their roster when Bamford moved, meaning that competition for starting spots was tough. Norwich, meanwhile, are lacking in quality strikers and have taken this January transfer window as an opportunity to reinforce that department. Steven Naismith has moved to Carrow Road and now Bamford will follow suit.
Alex Neil’s men sit just one spot above the relegation zone with two points separating them from 18th-placed Newcastle United. They will need a big push as the campaign progresses if they want to avoid relegation. While their concerns are primarily defensive (they have conceded the second highest number of goals in the league), the Canaries will be much better off if they can have a reliable source of goals going forward.
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Hopefully, Bamford will be able to provide a solution and pick up where he left off at Middlesbrough. His performances last season saw him be named Sky Bet Championship Player Of The Year and the 22-year-old will need to find that form if he is going to fulfill his great potential.