Patrick Bamford backed to land extended Sheffield United contract - ex-Leeds United man has "raised the levels" | OneFootball

The 32-year-old has hit the ground running at Bramall Lane.

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…

Sheffield United have enjoyed a recent upturn in form which has coincided with the introduction of Patrick Bamford to the first-team squad.

The Blades signed Bamford on a short-term deal during the November international break, and after getting up to speed with an appearance for the club's under-21 squad, he made his first-team debut from the bench in the Steel City Derby last weekend against Sheffield Wednesday.

The 32-year-old looked lively during his cameo appearance at Hillsborough, and could have walked away with a goal and an assist on another day after he put Tom Cannon through on goal and had an opportunity himself from close range.

His performance during that victory earned him a start against Portsmouth at Bramall Lane in midweek, and he got off the mark for his new club by reacting first to a ball that came back off the crossbar following a corner.

Prior to Bamford's arrival, Sheffield United had won just three of their 15 Championship fixtures this season. Both of his appearances so far have ended in 3-0 victories for the Blades, so he will hope he can continue to help his new club climb the table.

Patrick Bamford has hit the ground running at Sheffield United

We asked our Blades fan pundit, Jimmy of The Blades Ramble YouTube Channel, what his early impressions of Bamford were, and whether he believes the striker can earn himself an extended deal in S2.

"My first impressions of Patrick Bamford are really good," Jimmy told FLW.

"He certainly appears to have levelled us up, not only in what he can bring to the side himself, but the other strikers, knowing that they have got that competition, have raised their levels as well.

"It is great to see. He is bringing something to the side that we have not seen for a long time. He is great with his hold-up play, he is strong in the air — he won almost everything that he competed for against Portsmouth.

"He appears to be a really good signing. We know he is a decent striker. It has never really been a question of ability with Patrick Bamford, it is the availability.

"If we can keep this man fit, he is going to be a really strong asset for us, so any Blades that were on the fence are certainly going to be leaning towards being pleased.

"We will see how it goes, but so far so good."

Patrick Bamford signing could prove to be a masterstroke from Chris Wilder

Any questions over whether Chris Wilder and Bamford working together would be a success have quickly been forgotten, as it seems that signing the former Leeds United forward could prove to be a masterstroke from the Blades' boss.

Despite having only made one start for the club this season, Bamford already has the fourth-highest xG in the Sheffield United squad, ahead of the likes of Tom Cannon, Danny Ings and Gustavo Hamer, so the early evidence suggests that he is getting in the right areas to help the Blades increase their goalscoring output.

Wilder's side have already climbed out of the relegation zone since Bamford's arrival, and if he can continue to contribute towards his new club picking up three points on a regular basis, he and Wilder could soon be looking up the table rather than over their shoulders.

He doesn't have long to make more of an impression though, given his contract only runs until the end of December initially, but if Bamford keeps on putting on the performances that he's already delivered, then it may be a no-brainer of a decision.