After a season where Patrick Bamford played fewer than 20% of the available minutes in the Premier League, with Leeds United struggling badly in his absence, Victor Orta was always likely to target a striker this summer. Leeds attempted to cover for the loss of their top scorer for the previous two seasons with the players they already had in the squad, but none of the options tried were successful and this was a key factor in the Whites having to battle relegation until the final day of the season.
Bamford picked up an injury in the fifth game of the season, which saw him miss Leeds next nine games. However, he scored a stoppage time equaliser on his return in December, only to strain his hamstring celebrating, causing him another absence. During that period, the striker struggled to return due to an issue with his plantar fascia, which eventually ruptured during his third attempt at a comeback in the season.
Joe Gelhardt, Rodrigo, Tyler Roberts and Daniel James were all tried up front and whilst Gelhardt will certainly be given plenty more opportunities next season, it is clear Leeds need another quality option at centre forward. This is particularly important given that Jesse Marsch prefers two striker systems.
