Since being named the Championship's Player of the Year in 2014-15, while playing on loan for Middlesbrough, Patrick Bamford has played for three different teams, eking out a paltry 386 minutes across 21 appearances in the Premier League. After half-seasons spent at Crystal Palace and Norwich City, his latest failed loan has been to Burnley, where he's played just 33 minutes in all competitions.
Needless to say, he's about to be recalled to Chelsea. But where the story gets interesting is what may be next for the 23-year-old. The Daily Mail claim, for example, that a reunion with Karanka and Middlesbrough is in the cards, as the former Mourinho assistant looks to upgrade his team's league worst attack.
Boro have scored just 17 goals in 20 games, veteran Alvaro Negredo leading the way with 5, and clearly they need help. But Bamford isn't the only incoming striker linked, with Villa's Rudy Gestede, Everton's Gerard Deulofeu, and Stoke City's Bojan all in the running. Given that level of competition, and even with Karanka's great track record with Bamford, it's doubtful that another high risk Premier League loan is the best way forward for the Man Once Known As Bamfordinho.