Leeds United have not found goals hard to come by this season as they have blown Championship teams away with their attacking prowess on several occasions.
Huddersfield Town were the latest side to feel their wrath as Daniel Farke’s men racked up four goals at Elland Road on Saturday, which has taken their tally to 24 strikes in 14 matches.
The likes of Joel Piroe, Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, and Dan James have been in fine form but one player who has had a difficult start to the campaign in front of goal is Patrick Bamford.
He has endured a frustrating 18 months or so at the top end of the pitch and Farke is not able to sign a replacement for another two months until the January window opens.
However, the German coach could instantly ditch the former England international by unleashing Thorp Arch whiz Mateo Joseph.
The stats that show Bamford has underperformed this year
The ex-Middlesbrough man has scored zero goals and provided zero assists in six Championship appearances for the Whites during the 2023/24 campaign.
He is not able to blame a lack of opportunities in front of goal, either, as Bamford has missed a penalty and racked up 1.16 xG (Expected Goals) in that time, which suggests that his finishing ability, or lack thereof, has been the issue.
His disappointing start to this season comes off the back of his poor performances at the top end of the pitch last term, which means that his struggles are not a flash in the pan.
The 30-year-old marksman scored four goals from 8.61 xG and missed 13 ‘big chances’ in 28 Premier League outings for Leeds as they were relegated from the top-flight.
The stats that show why Joseph deserves a first-team chance
The 5 ft 11 academy forward has been in exceptional form for the club’s youth teams since the start of last season and Farke could brutally ditch Bamford by unleashing the 20-year-old talent before the January window opens.
Joseph has been on the bench for two Championship games this season and recently produced a goal and an assist against Hertha Berlin II in his first U21 appearance of the campaign.
This comes after the England U20 international plundered an eye-catching 17 goals and two assists in 24 U21 matches throughout the 2022/23 season.
These statistics show that Joseph is a superb goalscorer for the U21s, with 18 goals in 25 games since the start of last term, and that is the opposite of what Bamford has been of late.
The talented youngster, who was hailed as “really sharp” by Farke, also made six first-team appearances for Leeds during the previous campaign, which included three substitute outings at Premier League level.
This shows that Joseph has been trusted to play with the senior squad and the current boss placed his faith in him by naming the excellent gem on the bench twice this term.
Therefore, the German tactician must now bring the 20-year-old finisher into the first-team fold on a regular basis and offer him an opportunity to impress in the Championship, as Bamford has not done enough over the last 18 months to suggest that he is a better option than playing the promising young talent.
