‘People are starting to recognise’: Pundit blown away by £35k-a-week Leeds player

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Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford has been praised by talkSPORT pundit Carlton Cole following the Elland Road ace’s impressive start to the Premier League season.

The 27-year-old has been in inspired form for Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites over the past few weeks, registering three goals and two assists from three top-flight appearances.

Bamford previously came under criticism from sections of the Leeds fanbase who questioned his finishing, but so far, he has answered those critics in spectacular fashion.

Cole believes that the former England Under-21 international is finally fulfilling the potential he showed throughout his early career at Chelsea.

“I’ve got a lot of time for Patrick,” Cole said on talkSPORT about Bamford, who joined Chelsea after coming through the ranks at Nottingham Forest.

“He’s gone around the houses, he’s had a few clubs and he’s actually done really, really well.

“All that potential I saw in him when he was younger, now people are starting to recognise. He’s 27 and he’s now getting to the point now where he’s coming into his own and we’re going to see a great striker.”

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Since joining Leeds in 2018 for a reported £7m rising to £10m, Bamford split the fanbase prior to the start of the 2020-21 season.

Some praised his work-rate and commitment in terms of benefiting the whole team, while others thought he wasn’t fulfilling a primary striker’s duty of scoring enough goals.

However, a tally of three goals from three top-flight games, plus two assists, show that the £35,000-a-week man is certainly on the right track.

While it’s early days, a coach like Marcelo Bielsa is sure to keep getting the best out of him, and hopefully we’ll all be pleasantly surprised come the end of the season in terms of his final tally.