Patrick Bamford returned to Chelsea yesterday after cancelling his loan at Crystal Palace, which was originally set to run until the end of the season. Today, Ray Wilkins has backed the young striker to achieve success with the club, if they are willing to give him a chance.
Strengthening the front line
Wilkins spoke to Sky Sports Now about Chelsea's current situation and, in particular, what decisions the club should make during this January transfer window. The former Blues player believes they need to strengthen in attack.
This season has seen the defending champions struggle for goals, with Diego Costa failing to repeat his impressive debut season, Falcao being unable to find his form and Loic Remy struggling for fitness. "He's never available for selection," Wilkins told Sky.
Remy's future is a hot topic at the moment, with the rumour mill stating that several clubs fighting at the bottom of the table, such as Newcastle United and Aston Villa, are in pursuit of his signature, meaning Chelsea could be set to lose a striker rather than strengthen.
So the unexpected early return of Bamford could prove to be vital to interim manager Guus Hiddink, as he searches for a way to get the Blues back to the top half of the table. The 22 year-old is clearly in search of game time, hence why he returned to Chelsea.
Does he have what it takes?
Even though Bamford has been labeled as a great English prospect for several years, he has never been given a chance within Chelsea's first team squad, spending the majority of his career out on loan to various Championship clubs.
The opportunity at Palace was one fans hoped Bamford would take and prove he had what it takes to play at the highest level of the English game, especially after his dominance last season with Middlesbrough.
However, the fact he failed to score a single goal for Alan Pardew's side whilst out on loan doesn't fill most people with confidence and right now Chelsea need someone to step up and help rescue their season.
But even with his lack of experience at Premier League level, there is no doubt he has natural, raw talent mixed with a hunger to succeed, which could prove to be a recipe for success and the timing might be right for Bamford to finally make an impact at Stamford Bridge.
He finished his season at Middlesbrough as the club's top goalscorer and Wilkins is positive he could "score goals for Chelsea," as he is a "very bright" man, and Bamford will certainly be using his brains to see the potential chance in front of him.
Wilkins, who worked with Bamford during his time coaching the club, knows the player and his abilities well and does admit that he's "not the quickest", but Wilkins doesn't think that would hamper him, considering the "opportunities Chelsea create."
But even with the popular ex-Chelsea player's backing, Bamford will need more than that to be given a shot by Hiddink. He could still easily end up being shipped back out on loan and, if that happens, Wilkins believes that they must strengthen and with a lack of top names available this seems the best chance yet to give Bamford his opportunity.