Stoke City and Birmingham City must be on alert to Patrick Bamford, Coventry City situation | OneFootball

We looked at two clubs who should consider a move for free agent striker Patrick Bamford, who is currently training with Coventry City.

Two months on from his departure from Leeds United, striker Patrick Bamford remains without a club.

Bamford scored 60 goals in 205 games during a successful seven-year spell at Leeds, but after failing to score a single goal during their Championship title-winning campaign last season, manager Daniel Farke revealed that he would not be part of his plans in the Premier League, and his contract was subsequently cancelled by mutual consent in August.

Championship trio Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Wrexham have all been credited with an interest in Bamford in recent months, along with La Liga side Getafe, but Pompey manager John Mousinho emphatically denied speculation linking his side with a move for the 32-year-old earlier this month, and it does not appear any of his other reported suitors are set to offer him a contract either.

As his search for a new club continues, Bamford was spotted training with high-flying Coventry City last week, but Sky Blues manager Frank Lampard, who played with the striker during his time at Chelsea, insisted that he has only joined up with the club to maintain his fitness while he is a free agent, rather than due to any deal being imminent.

With Bamford looking unlikely to be handed an opportunity by Coventry, we named two other clubs who still have space remaining in their 25-man squad that should be monitoring his situation.

Birmingham City

After storming to the League One title last season, Birmingham owner Tom Wagner revealed in the summer that the club were aiming for back-to-back promotions this campaign, but it has not been an easy introduction to life back in the Championship for the Midlands outfit.

The Blues made a bright start to the season, but their form has declined dramatically in recent weeks, and a run of just two wins in nine games has seen pressure increase on manager Chris Davies.

One of Davies' main problems has been his side's lack of goals, with only Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth scoring fewer than the 11 league goals Birmingham have netted this season, and they have fired blanks in four of their 12 matches.

Last summer's big-money signing, Jay Stansfield, has continued to perform well this season, scoring six goals in 13 games in all competitions so far, but the same cannot be said of this summer's headline recruit, Kyogo Furuhashi, who has only netted once in the EFL Cup since joining from Rennes in a deal worth up to £10 million.

As Bamford has not scored since April 2024, he would be a risky signing for the Blues, but they are one of the few Championship sides who would have the financial resources to be able to afford his wages, and as he has a strong track record overall in the second tier, he could help to provide the experience of the division they are currently lacking.

Stoke City

Having only narrowly avoided relegation last term, few expected much from Stoke City this season, but they have been one of the surprise packages in the Championship in the early months of the campaign.

The Potters currently sit fifth in the table after picking up an impressive 21 points from their first 12 league games, but there are some question marks over whether they will be able to maintain their promotion push.

Having conceded just eight league goals so far, Stoke's success has been built upon an outstanding defence record, but they have scored just 13 goals at the other end, and their lack of attacking threat could hold them back in their pursuit of a play-off place.

Of their current strikers, Divin Mubama has scored just two goals since joining on loan from Manchester City, while Robert Bozenik is yet to open his account for the club, and Sam Gallagher has not featured this season due to injury, so manager Mark Robins could certainly benefit from having a prolific number nine at his disposal.

There is no guarantee that Bamford could be that player for the Potters, but given the improvement that Robins has inspired in his squad since his arrival at the bet365 Stadium in January, he could be the perfect manager to get the former England international's career back on track.