It has to be tempting to make a big move as a kid when a club like Chelsea comes calling, but there are just so many examples of players who were shoved out on various loan spells and had to fight to resurrect their career.
Patrick Bamford joined Chelsea as a youngster back in 2012 and he was included in the first team group when it came to training, but he never found a way to break into the first team.
He eventually landed on a permanent deal at Middlesbrough after six separate loan spells with various clubs, but he’s finally found a home with Leeds where he’s playing a key role for a Premier League club.
He’ll have a chance to show his quality against Chelsea this weekend as he takes on his former club, while it’s nice to see that Frank Lampard still remembers him as a kid and he had plenty of praise for Bamford for forging a career at the top level:
Lampard reminisces about Bamford’s time at Chelsea and how far he’s come ? pic.twitter.com/rSrTLbenkv
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) December 4, 2020
Sometimes a player just needs to drop a level to find a club who suits their abilities before making the step back up, so it looks like Leeds are the perfect fit for Bamford as he enters his prime years.
He’s scored seven times in ten Premier League games so it won’t be a surprise if he gets another against his former side, while there could still be a place in the England squad up for grabs if he keeps this form up.