Orta thought Leeds star was a “top player”, now Farke must sell him

Leeds United are currently sat at the top of the pile in the Championship after their 3-0 win over recently-relegated Luton Town at Elland Road on Wednesday night.

The Hatters came down from the Premier League at the end of last season but played more like a team that had just come up from League One, as the Whites swatted them aside with relative ease.

Daniel Farke’s men were incredibly dominant, ending the match with 76% of the possession, and goals from Sam Byram, Joel Piroe, and Dan James ensured that the side came away with all three points.

However, the West Yorkshire outfit are only above Sheffield United on goal difference and are only two points above Sunderland in fourth place, which illustrates how tight it is at the top of the table.

This means that Leeds must remain consistent and avoid too many slip-ups, which was not the case in the second half of last season as they ended up in the play-offs.

To give themselves the best possible shot at automatic promotion to the Premier League, the Whites could dip into the market in the January transfer window, but they may have to cash in on a few players to make room for new additions.

Players Leeds should look to cash in on

Firstly, Farke must look to cash in on Joe Gelhardt amid reported interest from Scotland, England, and Belgium for the 22-year-old forward.

The Yorkshire Evening Post recently reported that there is interest building in the former Wigan Athletic youngster, with the likes of Stoke and Rangers keen on landing him on loan.

Gelhardt has only started two matches and made 12 appearances in the Championship since the start of last season for Leeds, which is why the manager should attempt to sell him – rather than sanction a loan – as he is seemingly not in his plans for the first-team.

Football FanCast also recently posted an article explaining why the former Norwich City head coach should cash in on Austria international Max Wober when the January transfer window opens for business.

The left-footed defender is reportedly on £35k-per-week at Elland Road and is yet to start a game, with two appearances in total, in the Championship this season, which is why Farke should look to move him on as the centre-back is one of the highest earners in the squad whilst not contributing much on the pitch.

Another player the Whites should brutally bin ahead of the second half of the 2024/25 campaign is a forward who former sporting director Victor Orta once lauded.

The Leeds star who Victor Orta thought was a “top player”

Back in August of 2021, Patrick Bamford was called up to the senior England squad under Gareth Southgate for the first time and it led to high praise from Orta.

The Spanish chief hailed the former Chelsea and Middlesbrough marksman as a “top player” who had “developed magnificently” under the coaching of Marcelo Bielsa.

It was deserved praise at the time for the English centre-forward because he had just enjoyed a terrific 2019/20 Premier League campaign under the Argentine head coach, which earned him a place in Southgate’s squad.

As you can see in the table above, the Leeds striker plundered an eye-catching 17 goals and seven assists in 38 appearances in the top-flight, more than one goal contribution every other game on average.

The Whites forward had proven himself to be a reliable goalscorer at Premier League level, at that time, and it had come after his return of 16 goals in 45 matches during their promotion-winning season in the Championship the previous year.

This meant that Bamford had produced 33 league goals in two seasons with the West Yorkshire outfit, which is why Orta felt compelled to describe him as a “top player”.

The Leeds sporting director added that he was “sure” that there would be “more success” to come for the England international in the years to come.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case for the now-31-year-old number nine and, in the present day, Farke must ruthlessly cash in on the dud.

Why Leeds should cash in on Patrick Bamford

The experienced forward has not been a reliable goalscorer for Leeds for a number of seasons, now, and is reportedly the highest earner in the squad on £70k-per-week.

After his 17-goal haul in the Premier League in the 2019/20 campaign, Bamford managed a return of just six goals in 37 top-flight matches in two seasons.

That included four goals from 8.61 xG in 28 appearances in the 2022/23 campaign, which shows that the attacker significantly underperformed as a finisher in the season that Leeds were relegated in.

Relegation down to the Championship provided Bamford with a chance to get back on track and start scoring goals on a regular basis again. Unfortunately, the English striker’s finishing left a bit to be desired, yet again.

As you can see in the table above, the Leeds centre-forward underperformed his xG, again, and missed more ‘big chances’ than he scored goals in the second tier.

The 31-year-old dud, simply, did not provide consistent quality over the course of the season and was, therefore, not a reliable option for the manager.

That may be why he has started the current season as the third-choice number nine for Farke, with academy graduate Mateo Joseph and Dutchman Joel Piroe both preferred ahead of him in the pecking order as it stands, with six appearances and zero stars in the league so far.

Therefore, the manager must ruthlessly ditch Bamford, who is the highest earner in the squad, because he is not a regular on the pitch and has struggled to provide consistent quality in recent years.

Farke must cash in on the forward in January, if there is enough interest in him, as the £70k-per-week wages he is currently on could be put to better use by finding a player who can contribute week-in-week-out to the promotion push.