Sheffield United can land promotion jackpot in 2026/27 via £0 ace | OneFootball

A full year of Patrick Bamford is something Sheffield United fans are looking forward to next season

Patrick Bamford has been one of the surprise packages of the Championship campaign, as the 32-year-old has proven that his best days are still ahead of him.

His 17-goal campaign in the Premier League for Leeds United back in the 2020/21 season seems a long time ago, with various injuries, paired with selection issues under Daniel Farke, making people question if he could ever find that form again.

Those were emphasised last season, when Bamford failed to start a Championship game for the Whites en route to their 100-point title-winning campaign, despite being available for the majority of the season, and in the summer, the Leeds boss decided that he wasn't going to be part of his plans for their Premier League return.

He's found a new home in South Yorkshire at Sheffield United, though, and after impressing on a short-term deal, he penned a contract until the end of next season. And, if the last six months are anything to go by, both the frontman and the Blades could be in for incredible campaigns next season.

Patrick Bamford's impressive impact at Sheffield United this season

Despite wins in their last two, Sheffield United are on the proverbial beach, with promotion and relegation now no longer a possibility at Bramall Lane.

That is mainly due to how they started the season, though, with five consecutive league defeats to begin the campaign, resulting in Ruben Selles being sacked and Chris Wilder returning to the dugout, just months after the Spaniard had replaced him after the play-off final defeat last May.

Despite the change in management, it still took a few months for Wilder to get Sheffield United out of any relegation danger and figure out his best eleven in this new-look squad, and part of that coincided with the arrival of Bamford in November.

As mentioned, it was quite a risky signing, as the 32-year-old hadn't scored a goal in well over a year, but it's proven to be one of the signings of the season.

Since his debut in the Steel City Derby win at Hillsborough against Sheffield Wednesday in November, the Blades have been operating as a play-off side, picking up the sixth-most points in the Championship over the last six months.

And, a couple of months ago, many critics were tipping the Blades to perhaps squeeze into the top six come the end of the season. Unfortunately, a six-game winless run in March, which bled into the start of April, put paid to those plans, but Bamford has still been effective in front of goal in the aftermath of it.

Bamford got on the scoresheet once more at Watford on Saturday, netting a brace to take his league tally up to 11 this season, and 12 in all competitions, making this his best campaign in front of goal since that 17-goal Premier League season five years ago.

Sheffield United have a lot to look forward to with a full season of Patrick Bamford in 2026/27

Per Fotmob, Bamford has the third-best goals per 90 in the entire Championship, and his 11 league goals put him ninth in the top scorers chart, despite having missed the first three months of the campaign!

The 32-year-old's 0.64 goals per 90 translates to just under a 30-goal season if every minute is played, and while that very likely won't be the case next season, it will give a lot of encouragement to Blades fans for next year if their top scorer can stay fit for the whole campaign.

There is some uncertainty surrounding Sheffield United and what their squad may look like next season, given the fact that they're set to head into their first second-tier campaign without Premier League parachute payments since 2018/19.

But having someone capable of netting 20 will give them a brilliant chance of finishing in the play-offs, especially given the expansion to six teams. That will still be the minimum goal for Chris Wilder's side next season, regardless of how this summer goes.

One thing is for certain, though, Bamford will be staying put at Bramall Lane next season, and there'll be high expectations for him to continue his rich vein of form in front of goal across the entire campaign.