Chelsea starlet Patrick Bamford became Crystal Palace’s second new face in the summer transfer window, following the capture of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Yohan Cabaye. The England U21 international revealed that Selhurst Park was his preferred destination for a loan move, having netted 17 goals for Middlesbrough in the Championship last term:
“I was quite keen to stay close to London this time and Palace were actually my first choice, but I didn’t realise they were keen to start with. Then, when I met with the manager, he put forward his plans and it was an easy decision. I like to get in behind the defence. I’d say I’m deceptively quick, but I’m sure they’ll make their own minds up! I do like to score goals, so hopefully I’ll be able to do that a lot here. I want to try to establish myself in a Premier League team and if I can do that here then it would be great for me and great for the club.”
The History
Brought up in Nottinghamshire, Bamford joined Nottingham Forest’s youth academy from the age of eight. After spending ten years working his way through the ranks, the forward was handed his senior debut in December 2011. He made just one further cameo that term, before going on to tally five goals and four assists in seven outings for the reserve side.
Chelsea moved quickly to snap up the blossoming talent in January 2012 on a five-year deal. Following a spell with the Blues’ U21 squad, Bamford was loaned out to Milton Keynes Dons in November 2012, where he bagged four goals and two assists across 14 appearances before the end of the season. With his loan extended to January 2014, Bamford continued to excel at the Buckinghamshire club, notching 14 goals and two assists in 23 appearances.
In light of his rising talents, Bamford earned a loan move to Derby County in January 2014. The step up to the Championship proved to be a seamless transition for the Englishman, harvesting eight goals and three assists in 21 league appearances.
Most recently, Bamford spent the 2014/15 campaign on loan to Middlesbrough. He sat out just eight league matches during his stint at the Riverside Stadium, chalking up 17 goals and five assists in 38 outings. The Blues loanee was subsequently honoured as the Championship Player of the Year for his efforts. He has turned out six times for England U18, U19 and U21 sides and found the net on one occasion.
The Prospects
Having confirmed the deal, Eagles boss Alan Pardew indicated that the much sought-after striker will be afforded the chance to develop at Selhurst Park over the next 12 months:
“It’s a coup for Crystal Palace ahead of a host of rivals. I’m so pleased he chose us over others to help develop his game. Hopefully he will be a star for us, Chelsea and – of course – England. Patrick is one of England’s brightest prospects and I will liaise with José Mourinho, [England Under-21 coach] Gareth Southgate and Dan Ashworth [director of elite development at the FA] on his progress during this important year in his career.”
Certainly, you’d think that Chelsea wouldn’t have sanctioned Bamford’s switch if they weren’t confident he’d be afforded pitch time by Pardew. The Forest youth product could challenge the likes of Glenn Murray and Marouane Chamakh for starts up front, though the imminent arrival of Sunderland’s Connor Wickham will add further competition, considering that the Eagles boss also has Dwight Gayle and Fraizer Campbell at his disposal. Given that the youngster won just 27% of his headers last term, he may lack the aerial dominance to lead the line in Pardew’s preferred 4-2-3-1, though.
Nonetheless, Bamford’s versatility should strengthen his chances of pitch time if Pardew opts for Murray or Chamakh as the target man. As well as being fielded as a lone striker, he was stationed on the left and in “the hole” on numerous occasions in the previous campaign and also played on both wings during his spell with Derby. Essentially, then, his arrival also boosts Pardew’s options out wide, offering competition to the likes of Yannick Bolasie, Jason Puncheon and Wilfried Zaha.
A goal conversion rate of 16.3% last season also heightens his likelihood of starts, given that Murray, with seven strikes, was Palace’s top scorer in the season gone by. It’s worth noting that, after Pardew’s arrival, the Selhurst Park side were ranked sixth for goals (27) and third for shots inside the box (167) in 2014/15 and with new boy Cabaye pulling the strings in central midfield, they could offer us excellent value option in the season ahead.
Coming in at 6.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Bamford wasted no time in staking a claim for a starting berth, firing a 20-minute hat-trick against Bromley Town on his debut in midweek. It remains to be seen just where he’ll fit into Pardew’s XI, though, and with Puncheon (6.0), Cabaye, Bolasie (both 6.5) and Zaha (5.5) all jostling for our attentions in the centre of the park, Bamford’s classification as a forward across the Fantasy games may ultimately deter investment.
With showdowns against Arsenal, Chelsea, City and Spurs in the first six rounds of fixtures, Palace’s poor opening schedule will allow us to assess the new boy’s impact on Pardew’s XI before the fixtures take a turn for the better in Gameweek 7.
Further Reference
Patrick Bamford Wikipedia Page
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