"The only question mark" - Ipswich Town, Patrick Bamford fear raised as Leeds United exit looms | OneFootball

FLW's Ipswich Town fan pundit has given his view on whether the club should target out-of-favour Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford this summer.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Ipswich Town are preparing for life back in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League last season.

After winning back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, Ipswich returned to the top flight last season following a lengthy absence, but it proved to be a difficult campaign for Kieran McKenna's side, and they were relegated with a total of just 22 points.

The Tractor Boys have brought in three new signings so far this summer, with goalkeeper David Button, defender Cedric Kipre and Azor Matusiwa arriving at Portman Road, but they have also lost some of their key players, including defenders Axel Tuanzebe and Cameron Burgess and striker Liam Delap.

Following Delap's £30 million move to Chelsea, Ipswich may look to bring in a new striker before the end of the transfer window, and one player they could target is Patrick Bamford, who is expected to leave Leeds United this summer.

Bamford has enjoyed a successful spell with the Whites since joining the club from Middlesbrough in a deal worth up to £10 million in the summer of 2018, but he fell out of favour last season, making just 17 substitute appearances in the league as Daniel Farke's men won the Championship title, and he failed to score a single goal.

After Bamford was left out of the squad for Saturday's 0-0 pre-season draw against Manchester United, Farke revealed that Bamford was not part of his plans for the upcoming campaign, with the German stating that he was "not willing to tell him he was the main man at Premier League level", and his Elland Road exit now seems inevitable.

Ipswich Town verdict issued on potential Patrick Bamford signing

When asked if the club should consider a move for Bamford this summer, FLW's Ipswich Town fan pundit Adam Wilkin admitted that he has concerns over the 31-year-old's recent injury record, but he insisted that McKenna could help him get back to his best at Portman Road.

"I wouldn't be against Patrick Bamford coming in," Adam told FLW.

"With Sam Morsy potentially leaving, Bamford could bring a bit more experience and take up a bit of a leadership role.

"I don't think he would come in as our first-choice striker.

"He definitely wouldn't fill the Liam Delap void, and I think it's looking more and more likely that George Hirst will be the main man next year.

"Bamford is someone who has plenty of experience of the league, he knows where the back of the net is, but the only question mark is probably over his fitness.

"Leeds only used him 17 times last season, and all of those were off the bench.

"He didn't get any starts and he didn't get any goals, so it would be a bit of a rebuild project.

"But if anyone can rebuild him into Championship goalscoring form, it's Kieran McKenna."

Ipswich Town should be cautious over possible Patrick Bamford move

As George Hirst and Ali Al-Hamadi are currently the only two out-and-out strikers on their books after Delap's exit, Ipswich are certainly in need of a new number nine this summer.

On his day, there is no doubt that Bamford is an excellent striker at Championship level, but his last goal for Leeds came all the way back in April 2024, and he had multiple spells on the sidelines with injury last season.

According to Capology, Bamford is estimated to earn £70,000-a-week at Elland Road, so while he would likely need to take a pay cut to join the Tractor Boys, he would still demand a significant salary, and the Suffolk outfit must question whether the money could be better invested in a less risky option.