Chelsea confirmed on Tuesday morning that Patrick Bamford will head to Burnley on loan this season. The once-promising youngster is running out of time.
The summer transfer window slams shut on Wednesday evening. As we approach the deadline, the rumour mill is kicking into overdrive as Chelsea look to do some last-minute business. However, one confirmed deal sees Patrick Bamford heading to Burnley on loan as he tries to resurrect his career.
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The Blues confirmed on Tuesday morning that the striker will join the newly-promoted Premier League side for the season.
"Patrick Bamford has today joined Burnley on loan until the end of the season. The 22-year-old forward will spend the campaign in the Premier League with the newly promoted Clarets."
Bamford was one of the men somewhat forgotten this summer. Chelsea have, as usual, sorted out a multitude of loans for various youngsters and fringe players. Bamford, though, failed to appear in any of the deals, or even many rumours.
Fortunately, his situation is now clearer with a deal confirmed. After being touted as one of Chelsea’s brightest prospects, the striker will view this as his final chance to prove whether he can be a top-level talent.
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The Englishman has experienced a torrid twelve months. Some may say that a lost year is not a disaster, but the height that he has fallen since being named Championship Player of the Year in 2015 is remarkable.
After that fantastic campaign with Middlesbrough, Bamford was expected to kick on and establish himself as one England’s top strikers. However, his 2015/16 campaign did the opposite.
First, he was loaned out to Crystal Palace. This appeared like a decent move, given that he would not receive regular football at Stamford Bridge. Alan Pardew’s abundance of strikers caused some concern, but an impressive pre-season suggested that he would feature heavily.
Bamford only made eight competitive appearances and his season-long loan was terminated in December.
He then joined Norwich at the end of the winter transfer window, but it was much the same. The youngster turned out seven times for the Canaries, again failing to hit the back of the net.
At the age of 22, Bamford is running out of time to establish himself in the Premier League. Burnley, though, have thrown him a lifeline by taking him on loan.
Sean Dyche’s men were poor against Chelsea in their Premier League clash, but they are nevertheless optimistic about the season. The arrival of Patrick Bamford should only augment this positivity.
With a deficiency of outstanding striking talent at Turf Moor, Bamford should essentially walk into the first-team. He must take this opportunity to shine.
In modern football, star players start to make waves at Bamford’s age. In that sense, the Englishman is already behind his contemporaries. However, all is not lost.
The key part of this deal is that Burnley are a Premier League club. If Bamford can grab a sizeable amount of goals, no-one will be able to belittle the accomplishment. Moreover, the fact that he would have done so with a relegation-threatened team only furthers his stock.
Patrick Bamford knows that this season is make or break for his career. He is certainly in the last chance saloon.