According to reports from Express Sport, Scottish champions Celtic have managed to stave off competition from Real Betis in the race to secure the services of striker Patrick Bamford. The 22-year-old made a reputation for himself as one of the most promising young strikers in England following his prolific loan spells with the likes of Milton Keynes Dons, Derby County and Middlesbrough over the past few seasons. However, the previous season was a major setback for him.
After his brilliant showing for Boro on loan in the 2014-15 season, Bamford was shipped out on loan once again by the Blues but this time in the Premier League to gain vital top tier experience. Big things were expected of him but the 22-year-old could not deliver at all. Spending the first half of the season on loan at Crystal Palace and the second half at Norwich, Bamford failed to net a single goal.
Quite expectedly, Chelsea are looking to send the English under-21 international out on loan once again and it seems like his destination is Celtic. Ahead of the deal, let us discuss what Bamford can bring with him at Parkhead.
Strengths
Bamford is a very hard-working forward. The 22-year-old loves to operate from the deeper positions and is blessed with a very good positioning. Thanks to his decent pace and ability to create as well as finish, he can be deployed on the flanks as well as an attacking midfielder. Bamford is someone who is not afraid to test the goalkeeper from a long distance. If we take a look at his figures for MK Dons, Derby, Boro and the youth Chelsea sides, we can easily see that the Englishman is not just genuine goal threat but someone who can set up his teammates on a regular basis as well.
Weakness
Brendan Rodgers likes his team to dominate possession and play an attractive passing game. Bamford’s passing accuracy last campaign was just 67.2%, something that he needs to work on. The youngster easily lost possession of the ball last season in the Premier League due to his lack of physical strength. Although Scottish Premiership is not at the same level as the Premier League, Bamford needs to work on his shortcomings if he has to make his mark at Celtic.
Opportunities
One bad season does not mean that you are a bad player. Bamford still can have a big future at Chelsea. All he has to do is to gain experience with Celtic and develop as much as he can to make a strong comeback to Chelsea next summer and fight for his place.
Threat
Celtic have the best striker in Scottish football right now in Leigh Griffiths who scored 40 goals in all competitions last season. They also brought young but talented Moussa Dembele to add more firepower to their attack this summer. Bamford will have to stave off a solid competition for a place in the starting XI at Parkhead. The competition will definitely benefit Celtic but the lack of game time can prove to be career threatening for Bamford.
