Leeds standout reveals reason behind pondering post-relegation exit plans in 2023

In recent months, Leeds United have said goodbye to mainstay players like Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas. However, there was nearly a third player who opted to join his former teammates in saying goodbye to Elland Road, but in Patrick Bamford’s case, it would’ve been under different circumstances.

Cooper and Dallas left Leeds this past summer, as both players entered the twilight of their careers at 33. As a result, Leeds needed to look toward the future, get younger, and close a decade-long chapter.

Nonetheless, it wouldn’t be the same for Bamford, who pondered leaving the Whites following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.

Patrick Bamford reveals how he nearly left Leeds in 2023

Bamford wanted to end his Leeds career after five years, especially following the team’s relegation and the unsettling situation for his family, which included receiving death threats.

Near the end of the 2022-23 season, as United faced the threat of relegation, Bamford missed a crucial penalty at home against Newcastle United, leading to a wave of online abuse directed at him.

“I wouldn’t say it ever made me want to hang the boots up and finish football, I’ll know when the time is right for that, but at a point, when I knew my family wasn’t comfortable here, being honest at that point, I wanted to leave,” Bamford said on the 72+: The EFL Podcast.

“It wasn’t until sitting down and thinking about it, I had to make sure my missus was okay with it, and reassure her it won’t happen again by putting measures in place. I knew it was a tough one for me because, after going down, there was still unfinished business with Leeds because I felt like I hadn’t been able to contribute for the last 18 months in the Prem.

“Part of me wanted to really start somewhere new, that would almost be the easy option. Over that summer, there was a lot of thinking hard about it, having a few chats and that. In the end, I said I didn’t want to take the easy option and the easy way out.”