How much Patrick Bamford is estimated to have cost Leeds United per appearance so far in 2024/25 | OneFootball

FLW outline Patrick Bamford's weekly wage and compare it to the number of games played for Leeds United in 2024/25.

Patrick Bamford is no longer one of Leeds United's key players under Daniel Farke, with the striker now into the last 18 months of his contract at Elland Road.

Bamford’s injury issues have left him in a strange situation for the first time in his Leeds career. He may wish to pursue a new challenge at some stage, with some reports stating that his time at Leeds is soon coming to an end, with the 31-year-old featuring just ten times from their opening 28 league fixtures.

All of those appearances have also come from the bench, with the striker yet to contribute a goal or an assist in the Championship. Not long ago, Football Insider claimed that he is planning to depart Elland Road next summer after growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of game time under Farke.

Bamford has struggled for game time in the last couple of seasons now, with injuries hampering his availability under Farke in 2023/24 as well. But, with the player’s contract not set to expire until the summer of 2026 and Bamford on a Premier League level wage, it puts both him and Leeds in a difficult situation.

Here, we take a look at the finances behind Bamford's contract, and compare that to the number of minutes played this term.

Patrick Bamford's weekly wage and cost to Leeds per minute

Per Capology, Bamford is Leeds' highest-paid player, just ahead of the likes of Junior Firpo, Pascal Struijk, and Dan James. His estimated weekly wage is £70,000, with other top earners around the £50k-60k mark.

The 31-year-old was earning England call-ups off the back of a 17-goal Premier League season haul not long ago, and injuries have since caught up with him, but his wage reflects what was a successful period a number of years ago now.

Although, it is unclear how accurate that is following relegation, with Phil Hay of The Athletic reporting in the aftermath of returning to the second tier that "Leeds are protected by significant clauses inserted into every player’s contract, which will see wages fall by a minimum of 50 percent and maximum of 60 percent" in the event of dropping down a division.

If Hay's report is to be believed, then it may well be a lower figure than £70,000, but with a report from TEAMtalk stating that it is closer to something like £40,000 per week instead. It is likely Bamford is paid somewhere between £35k-£70k.

For the sake of argument, we will use Capology's current estimation of £70,000. The 2024/25 season began July 1st, which means there have been 29 weeks in total of Bamford earning £70,000. Before tax, that works out as 2,030,000.

That means Bamford's 11 appearances each have cost around £185,000 so far this season, per Capology's estimates.

Patrick Bamford's Leeds dilemma

His injuries and lack of a killer eye for goal have consistently let him down in recent years, and his wages were once justifiable, but they are not now in the Championship. With such a lack of action, and despite how crucial his ability to hold the ball up and run the channels can be when spearheading an attack, Bamford is not the same player he was four seasons ago.

Whatever figure you look at, it also makes him a difficult player to move on to get his wages off the books should Leeds and the 49ers be inclined to do so. He had a part to play last year between January and March, having shown good form and a cleaner bill of health, but that doesn't look likely to repeat this term.

It’s also unlikely that Leeds will sanction deals for multiple forward players without at least one coming in after Joe Gelhardt's departure. His place in the pecking order is clearly not what it once was, but his exit is more probable this summer than this month.