The summer is here, and that means days spent idly refreshing club websites for the latest transfer news. But what are the key issues for clubs to resolve in the market this summer, who should stay and who should go? First up in the Transfer Tracker, Ross Tyson assesses talented young English star Patrick Bamford and his Chelsea future….
Radamel Falcao is expected to be finally announced as a Chelsea player soon, joining boisterous, slightly hamstrung “Guv’nor” Diego Costa in attack. Didier Drogba has already left, and despite a fairly impressive goal return (for his minutes on the pitch), Loic Remy’s Chelsea future is far from certain.
What this all means is that another forward is likely to be part of Chelsea’s squad for the 2015/16 season. So, should the champions look to dive into the transfer market, or will last season’s Championship Player of the Year Patrick Bamford do what roughly 876 other couldn’t; force his way into the Chelsea squad after returning from loan?
First, let’s look at the pros and cons, from the player’s perspective, if he were to stay at Chelsea:
Patrick Bamford should stay
After scoring just shy of 40 goals in the Football League over the last two seasons for MK Dons, Derby County and Middlesbrough, Bamford has surely earned himself a crack at the Premier League. By staying with Chelsea, the England U21 international will guarantee that he is surrounded by some of the best players in the league, and would be managed by Jose Mourinho during his maiden top flight season.
This means Bamford would be learning from the best and won’t be short of goalscoring opportunities with the likes of Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Willian behind him.
Bamford is also less likely to be crippled by expectations, as his role initially will be as a back-up striker. It’s not “now or never” for Bamford but another season on loan will only see competition for a future role increase, as more new arrivals join the club in the coming seasons.
Patrick Bamford should go
Bringing through youth, and especially British youth, isn’t something Chelsea, or ‘The Special One’ are famous for. As a Chelsea player Bamford probably wouldn’t start week in week out and will most likely have to make do with appearances from the bench, run-outs in the League Cup and potentially ‘dead rubber’ European ties.
Bamford has probably become accustomed to starting, but as the aforementioned Loic Remy might testify, goals from the bench don’t always lead to starts at Chelsea – a fact that has the Frenchman considering the Stamford Bridge exit door after only one season, having scored seven goals in 21 mostly-substitute league appearances.
Bamford would also have to get used to playing against defences looking to sit back and would not be the focus of Chelsea’s attack.
So what about the champions of England? What are the pros and cons to keeping Bamford?
Chelsea should keep him
The 21-year-old is of course a good player. Strong, quick and capable of scoring all manner of goals, Bamford has some similar traits to Chelsea’s most successful strikers over the years. As we saw in a crucial game against Norwich when he played through obvious injury, Patrick Bamford is a brave player who puts the team first and has the right attitude.
He also won’t cost anything in terms of a transfer fee, and is almost certainly on a smaller wage than Falcao (who was apparently on £1bn a week at Manchester United), and most likely a smaller wage than a proven alternative would command.
The right use of Bamford would also provide a retort to the idea that Chelsea should be avoided by younger players.
SEE ALSO: Patrick Bamford and the top 20 players in the Football League in 2014/15
Chelsea should let him go
I’ve waxed lyrical about the boy, so it’s only right to also point out that he wasn’t a 90 minute superstar for the whole of last season, and is of course completely unproven at the top level.
Diego Costa’s hamstring and fiery temper will no doubt lead to a few absences (as it did last season). ‘2015 Falcao’ also comes with question marks attached, so if Remy does leave unreplaced, Chelsea would be pinning their hopes of retaining the title, and a far better Champions League showing, on unproven shoulders.
The Blues also have an almost irritating record of receiving huge sums when they sell players, and right now if they announced their intentions to lower Bamford into the transfer market it would resemble a scene from ‘Jurassic Park’ with a plethora of suitors. Newcastle have already been lurking.
A tough season at Chelsea could hinder Bamford’s value and heading into the 2016/17 season he would be in the last year of his contract, so could then leave on a free (with a tribunal) the following summer. Selling now would provide optimal value.
The verdict
Chelsea’s summer recruits may well have an effect on the verdict, but I think Bamford should try and secure a loan to a Premier League side. A Christian Benteke-less Aston Villa or Newcastle could allow him a first team bite at the Premier League cherry, and who knows, maybe a seat on a plane bound for France next year.
The ideal but unlikely scenario for Chelsea would be to loan him to a Championship club (maybe a Charlie Austin-less neighbour), therefore allowing them to re-call him if needs be. That way, Mourinho and Blues supporters can cross their fingers and hope they’ve found Harry Kane 2.0.
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