Amidst fears of falling apart yet again, there are reasons to dream of a brighter future in West Yorkshire even though Leeds United have won only twice in their last seven Championship games. The Whites enjoyed a blistering start under iconic Marcelo Bielsa but have now slipped to third in league standings following a frustrating 1-1 draw against Brentford at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon. Injuries have ruined their momentum but the fans should be upbeat when two exciting names will return to action in January.
Patrick Bamford, the £10m summer recruit from Middlesbrough, only made a few substitute appearances in the league before damaging his posterior cruciate ligament while featuring for the U23s around a month back. He will have to undergo rehabilitation for a further three months period before regaining full fitness and is expected to be back in contention around mid-January.
Bielsa made six summer recruits altogether, four of them joined the Whites on loan including Izzy Brown who was recruited despite suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury earlier this year while playing for Brighton & Hove Albion in Premier League. The decision baffled many knowing the uncertainty over his return date, however, the club seem to have struck a win-win deal with Chelsea, Brown’s current employers.
“The financials of the deal are structured accordingly with our club only making a material monetary contribution when Izzy is fit and fighting for a first-team place. It shows how highly our technical staff rate Izzy, and the impact we believe he can make in the back half of the season.”
Angus Kinnear, Leeds’ managing director, shared the details of the deal in the program column ahead of the Brentford game which has indeed dropped all confusions why they have roped in this exciting youngster.
The 21-year-old former England youth international played a significant role in Huddersfield Town’s Premier League promotion campaign and also made 15 appearances for the Seagulls in the top tier before his injury heartbreak. But the player has exhibited great maturity and versatility in the attacking third that has allowed the Whites to gamble on the Blues’ starlet.
He is rhythmic in both the flanks, fits in as a second striker but prefers to operate as a ‘number 10’ to orchestrate the show. The standings will start shaping up from January and the duo will inject freshness as well as a much-needed depth in Leeds lineup.
Bamford, a high-profile name in Championship football, could not secure a first-team role ahead of outstanding Kemar Roofe in his early weeks but would strengthen the Whites on his return easing the pressure off teenager Tyler Roberts who is now leading the line for quite a while following Roofe’s injury absence.
Brown, on the other hand, will throw a challenge to Samuel Saiz who has been a bit inconsistent so far while operating from an advanced midfield role. Also, the ongoing fitness concern of veteran Pablo Hernandez has created a massive void in the attacking third which should also be sorted out once the Englishman joins the group. Their current crisis is momentary and the enthusiasts should be looking forward to a Premier League return when Bamford and Brown will be unveiled as fresh enrolments next year.
