Daniel Farke will need to perform magic on the youthful center striker.
Leeds United climbed to the second position in the Championship table earlier this week, securing a spot in the automatic promotion places alongside Leicester City. The team achieved this after a 4-0 victory against Swansea away from home, enabling them to surpass Southampton, who had suffered a 3-1 defeat against Bristol City.
Daniel Farke was appointed last summer, and the German head coach has excelled in his role, guiding his team to a strong position in the competition for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
The former Norwich City coach has demonstrated his knack for bringing through and nurturing young talents, evident in the emergence of players like Mateo Joseph and Archie Gray as viable options for the first team. Farke has a track record of working with and developing players such as James Maddison, Max Aarons, Andrew Omobamidele, and Ben Godfrey during his tenure with Norwich.
He now has the opportunity to work his magic once again, this time with Leeds youngster Sonny Perkins, who could potentially serve as a long-term successor to Patrick Bamford. Perkins, a 20-year-old talent, returned from a less-than-ideal loan spell with Oxford United in January. With Farke’s guidance, there’s optimism that Perkins could evolve into a future star for Leeds, much like Mateo Joseph, provided he is given the right opportunities to showcase his talent.
Mateo Joseph’s emergence this season
The Spanish-born striker has been given opportunities to impress the former Borussia Monchengladbach head coach this season, making 12 first-team appearances. In the Championship, he has featured nine times, always coming off the bench, and has participated in all three of the club’s FA Cup matches.
Joseph secured his first senior start of the 2023/24 campaign in a FA Cup match against Plymouth at Home Park earlier this month, contributing to a 4-1 win in extra time for Leeds. In the game, he came close to opening his goal account, showcasing his skills by creating space in the box and unleashing a shot towards the top corner, only to be denied by an excellent save from the goalkeeper.
His outstanding return of 20 goals and three assists in 37 games for the club at the U18 and U21 levels combined preceded his first-team debut.
Despite being an England U20 international with three goals in ten matches at that age group, the young player has not yet experienced a loan move away from Yorkshire to secure regular first-team football. Instead, Farke has chosen to provide him with an opportunity to demonstrate his quality within the senior squad without the need for external development at another club.
In contrast, Perkins spent the first half of the season on loan with Oxford United in League One, facing challenges and frustration with the third-tier club. However, the difficulties during this loan spell should not entirely overshadow his potential. There is still a possibility for him to emerge as a successor to Patrick Bamford, especially considering Bamford’s age, now on the wrong side of 30, and his contract expiring in 2026.
Patrick Bamford’s form this season
The former England international, who will turn 31 later this year, struggled early in the season but has recently been in excellent form for the Yorkshire-based team.
In his first 16 league appearances of the 2023/24 campaign, Patrick Bamford failed to register a goal or assist for the club. Notably, all of these appearances were as a substitute, as Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter had secured the starting spots.
However, Bamford has since experienced a resurgence, contributing with four goals and one assist in six Championship starts for Leeds since the turn of the year. His most recent goal, against Rotherham United, sparked controversy as the former Chelsea prospect appeared to guide the ball into the net with his arm, an incident that went unnoticed by the officials.
🎯 They all count! pic.twitter.com/YFqeU9wBHe
— Leeds United (@LUFC) February 10, 2024
Since the English attacker’s contract expires in 2026, Farke may already be considering what life will be like without him. Despite this, he does not need to be replaced right away.
Bamford is a left-footed center-forward who has scored goals at a reasonable rate in 176 appearances for Leeds across all competitions. Perkins could become Bamford’s replacement.
Sonny Perkins’ goalscoring potential
The 20-year-old, who wears the number nine shirt and is a left-footed player, returned to Leeds United in January after a loan spell at Oxford. Oxford boss Des Buckingham explained that Perkins had limited opportunities due to having two experienced options ahead of him, resulting in just three League One appearances.
Despite his challenging time at Oxford, Perkins’ impressive form at youth levels for West Ham United, Leeds, and the England national team suggests that he possesses the quality to become a future first-team option for Farke.
Having played 16 times for his country at various youth levels from U15 to U19, Perkins has contributed ten goals, boasting an average of one goal every 1.6 games.
Before joining Leeds, Perkins demonstrated his goal-scoring prowess at West Ham, tallying 21 goals and providing five assists in 55 matches combined at U18 and U21 levels.
The promising youngster, once hailed by former boss Michael Skubala as a “goal machine,” made the move to Leeds for the 2022/23 campaign. In his debut season, he made a significant impact, recording 12 goals and three assists in 20 Premier League 2 outings, including the play-offs.
These statistics underline the 20-year-old’s ability to consistently find the back of the net, especially when in form and playing regularly. Perkins, having showcased his goal-scoring talent for both clubs and his country, now faces the challenge of proving himself at the top level. Notably, he marked his senior debut for Leeds with a goal off the bench against Cardiff in the FA Cup at the beginning of 2023, demonstrating his ability to score in a first-team setting.
| Premier League 2 | Sonny Perkins | Mateo Joseph |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 42 | 28 |
| Goals | 23 | 17 |
| Assists | Five | Two |
| Stats via Transfermarkt | ||
The table above clearly illustrates the prolific performances of both Perkins and Joseph as center-forwards, representing Leeds and West Ham (in Perkins’ case) at the U21 level.
While both players have demonstrated their potential, it appears that Perkins, the former Oxford United loanee, may require additional development on the training pitch following his challenging loan spell.
Given Daniel Farke’s track record of nurturing and developing young talents, as mentioned earlier, it is expected that he will work his coaching magic with Perkins. The objective is to unlock the youngster’s full potential and identify a suitable long-term successor to Patrick Bamford as the lead striker for the Championship side.