Sheffield United striker Patrick Bamford has recently commended the uncommon honesty of his boss, Chris Wilder. Bamford, who is 32 years old, signed a contract with the Blades until January.
Honesty in Football
Following a controversial incident in April during Leeds’ Premier League promotion celebrations, Bamford made a call to Wilder to apologize. At that event, he inadvertently started a disrespectful chant about Wilder. Despite their previous clashes, Wilder expressed he had “no issue” with the situation.
In 2019, tensions arose when Wilder referred to Bamford as “a muppet” after Sheffield United secured promotion ahead of Leeds. Reflecting on the chant incident, Bamford described his concern after seeing the video, stating, “I had had a few drinks, and the next day my mum was panicking saying ‘why have you started that?’”
Clearing the Air
Bamford reached out to Wilder to smooth things over. Initially anxious about how Wilder would respond, he was pleasantly surprised by Wilder’s understanding demeanor. “He didn’t care,” stated Bamford, praising Wilder’s straightforwardness and honesty as refreshing qualities in football.
Debut at Sheffield United
As a one-cap England international, Bamford departed Leeds in August through mutual consent. He is now poised to make his debut with Sheffield United against their rivals, Sheffield Wednesday, on Sunday.
Bamford also revealed he came very close to joining Frank Lampard’s Coventry City before the transfer fell through. He had a history with Lampard from their time together at Chelsea. “I knew Frank and went down to train, which was better than training alone,” he explained.
Transfer Journey
The deal with Coventry was nearly finalized; however, the owner opted not to proceed, citing their successful start to the season. Bamford expressed no hard feelings about the situation. After the deal collapsed, Chris Wilder contacted him, leading to a swift agreement with Sheffield United. Within two hours after their discussion, Bamford finalized his move.
As he embarks on this new chapter, Bamford is ready to contribute to Sheffield United’s success while appreciating the honesty and straightforwardness of his manager, Chris Wilder.
