Leeds United's automatic promotion chances took a big hit on Saturday as they failed to pick up any points from their trip to the CBS Arena in the Championship.
The Whites were beaten 2-1 by Coventry City, who were 2-0 up inside 50 minutes thanks to goals from Haji Wright and Ellis Simms, and now sit third in the division.
They failed to make the most of Ipswich Town's 1-0 defeat to rivals Norwich City in the early kick-off on Saturday. A win would have moved them two points clear of the Tractor Boys, and they are now one behind with five games left to play for both teams.
Daniel Farke's side need to finish strongly and hope that Kieran McKenna's men slip up again along the way. Otherwise, they will need to go through the play-offs to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
One player who needs to up his game over the coming weeks is former England international Patrick Bamford, who had a nightmare against Coventry.
The experienced marksman, as FFC explained on Sunday, had a howler with one 'big chance' missed and six of his eight duels lost during his time on the pitch.
Just under three years ago, Leeds decided to sell academy striker Rafa Mujica, and it now appears as though former sporting director Victor Orta fumbled the club's dream Bamford upgrade in doing so.
Rafa Mujica's Leeds story
The Whites swooped in to sign the young centre-forward on a free transfer from Spanish giants Barcelona, after his contract with the LaLiga side expired in the summer of 2019.
As per Leeds' announcement at the time, Mujica had scored seven goals in 33 games for Barcelona B during the 2018/19 campaign, which convinced the club to bring him in to strengthen Carlos Corberan's attacking options for the U23 side.
Over the next two seasons, the young marksman spent time on loan with Extremadura, Villarreal CF B, Real Oviedo, and UD Las Palmas and did not make a single appearance for Leeds at senior level.
Appearances
8
7
5
13
Goals
0
4
2
1
Assists
0
0
0
0
As you can see in the table above, the former Spain U21 international did not enjoy a successful time out on loan back in his home country, although he did manage seven goals in 12 appearances for Villarreal B and Real Oviedo combined.
In the summer of 2021, after two years at Elland Road, Mujica was sold to Las Palmas on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee, having scored one goal in 13 matches on loan.
He spent one year with the Spanish side on a permanent basis before a move to Arouca in Portugal, where the 25-year-old star is currently outperforming Bamford.
Patrick Bamford's season in numbers
The 30-year-old striker has left a bit to be desired in front of goal with some less-than-impressive finishing in the Championship so far this season.
Bamford has found the back of the net seven times in 30 appearances in the division, with a goal every 189 minutes on average, for the Whites.
Those seven goals have come from an Expected Goals (xG) of 9.31, and this means that the attacker has underperformed his xG by 2.31 – the second most within the squad, only behind Georginio Rutter (-8.14).
This shows that the former Chelsea academy graduate has not made the most of the opportunities that have come his way in the final third so far this term.
Bamford has only scored seven times in 30 appearances and scored two fewer than his xG suggests that he should have. His wasteful nature was costly against Coventry as he missed a 'big chance' and failed to score from 0.55 xG in a 2-1 loss for Leeds.
The Whites may now look back on their decision to part ways with the then-22-year-old Mujica back in 2021 as a mistake, as the talented finisher has gone on to develop into a quality centre-forward.
Why Rafa Mujica would be an upgrade on Patrick Bamford
The 25-year-old Arouca star produced 14 goals and one assist in 32 appearances in all competitions during his debut season with the Portuguese side last term.
During the current campaign, Mujica has racked up a staggering 21 goals and four assists in 33 outings in all competitions, whilst no Leeds player has scored more than Crysencio Summerville's 18 goals this season.
The Spanish whiz, who scored two goals against Braga on Saturday, has plundered an eye-catching 18 goals in 27 matches in the Portuguese top-flight.
Appearances
27
30
Sofascore rating
7.23
6.82
Goals
18
7
Assists
3
1
Goal conversation rate
18%
15%
As you can see in the table above, the former Leeds youngster has significantly outperformed Bamford in front of goal so far this season in their respective leagues, with far more goals, more assists, and a considerably higher Sofascore rating, in fewer appearances.
He has found the back of the net 18 times from an xG of just 14.76, which means that the Arouca marksman has outperformed his xG by 3.24 in total, whilst no Leeds player has outperformed their xG by more than 2.68.
Viktor Gyokeres, who played in the Championship for Coventry last season, has scored 22 goals from 17.24 xG (+4.76) for Sporting in Portugal this term and is reportedly valued at £68.5m ahead of the summer transfer window.
The Sweden international, who is the same age as Mujica, has only scored four more league goals than the ex-Leeds gem but is valued at a staggering fee.
It will now be interesting to see whether or not the Arouca star generates any interest in his services ahead of the summer, and what sort of fee he could command.
Leeds, who already appear to have fumbled a dream Bamford upgrade with the talented ace, could also live to regret a huge missed payday if the Portuguese side go on to rake in a big fee for his signature.
For now, though, it is safe to say that Orta had a howler when he cashed in on Mujica as the lethal forward has been on fire over the past two seasons, and has been significantly better than the English striker has been for the Yorkshire-based side.
