Patrick Bamford outlines his Leeds United future hope with Bielsa comment and frank admission — YEP 7/6/24

By Lee Sobot

Patrick Bamford has highlighted Marcelo Bielsa in outlining his Leeds future hope.

Striker Patrick Bamford has looked to Marcelo Bielsa in outlining his Leeds United future hope, despite a frank Whites admission.

Leeds will again play Championship football next season after the club’s bid for an immediate bounce back from relegation ended with a 1-0 defeat in the play-off final to Southampton.

Due to a knee injury, Bamford could only watch from the Wembley sidelines as Adam Armstrong’s first-half strike took the Saints back to the Premier League, leaving Leeds to try again next season.

Bamford, though, has been quick to look at the bigger picture, citing the importance of clubs being promoted when they are “ready” and highlighting the fact that even Bielsa’s Whites took two seasons to go up.

Speaking on the My Mate’s A Footballer Podcast, Bamford now hopes that history will repeat itself, Bielsa’s team promoted as champions in the 2019-20 season, one year on from defeat to Derby County in the play-offs semis.

Presented with the fact that there was still plenty of positivity from Leeds fans heading back from London after the Wembley final defeat, Bamford agreed, and quickly drew comparisons with Bielsa’s side.

“I feel like it was kind of similar,” said the Whites striker. “We lost obviously in Marcelo's first year in the play-off semis and then the next year went up and I think with every club, they go up when they are ready.

"Sometimes, not with every club, but what I'm trying to say is that it's better to go up when you're ready  then it is to just go up and sometimes you are not ready for it. We were in two years and then got relegated in the third but some teams go up and then straight back down and that's hard."

Bamford, though, also admitted that his team would have to overcome an even bigger disappointment of losing in the play-off final as opposed to the semis.

"I'd say losing in the final is way worse,” admitted Bamford.

"Say when you look back and you lost a semi, you would have been like 'if we had beat them we would still have to beat them in the final. But if you lose a final you are like we literally just had that one game and if we won that, that's it, it was done."