After scooping the Championship player of the year award on Sunday night, Patrick Bamford is the man on everybody’s lips.
Bamford, 21, beat Ipswich Town’s Daryl Murphy and Watford’s Troy Deeney to the prize after racking up an impressive 19 goals for loan side Middlesbrough this season.
Following previous loan spells at MK Dons and Derby County, the English youngster has produced his best form yet for Aitor Karanka’s promotion chasing side and is being tipped for a role in Chelsea’s first team next term.
Jose Mourinho’s men have been short on attacking options recently and the West Londoners’ frailties have shown in light of their strikers’ poor return of goals.
Despite winning on both occasions with talisman Diego Costa out injured, Chelsea have only racked up two goals in their last two games; 1-0 away at QPR, and 1-0 at home to Louis Van Gaal’s Manchester United.
Chelsea’s veteran striker Didier Drogba has struggled in recent weeks and has faced tough criticism from pundits and fans alike, providing Bamford with the perfect opportunity to show Mourinho what he can offer.
Speaking in a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Bamford said; ‘There’s no reason why I wouldn’t want to be at Chelsea. That’s my dream, to pull on that blue shirt, so hopefully it’ll come true.
‘In the Premier League, strikers are about 23 or 24 if they’re playing week-in, week-out and at a club like Chelsea, you’ve got the money to go out and buy a world class striker like Diego Costa.
‘And there’s also that pressure they need to win trophies, win the league. It’s just one of those things, you have to stick with it, be patient and hopefully the rewards will come.’
Born in Lincolnshire and a regular for England’s Under 21 side, Bamford could benefit the Premier League table toppers with more than just goals.
With the minimum number of ‘home-grown’ players in each Premier League squad currently at eight and following FA Chief Greg Dyke’s recent proposal to increase this amount, having Bamford in the squad would aid Mourinho in achieving this goal.
Bamford then, is the perfect fit for a Chelsea side in need of bolstering their attacking options to sustain their Premier League dominance next season.
