This season, Patrick Bamford has 10 goals in 17 Premier League appearances, which is a substantial return for a striker with a poor record in the division prior to Leeds United's promotion last season.
Bamford had netted just once in his previous 25 appearances in the top flight, spread across various loan spells at Norwich City, Burnley, Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough. Under Marcelo Bielsa though, he is thriving.
Across Europe's top five leagues this season, Bamford is the only player to have registered over 10.0 non-penalty xG, according to FBRef.com.
That means, excluding penalties, Bamford is the striker throughout the entirety of Europe's big five who has been expected to score the most, based on the chances presented to him.
Bamford's total sits at 10.3 xG, above Romelu Lukaku in second place, Kylian Mbappe in fourth and Robert Lewandowski in sixth. His xG total also tallies nicely with his actual goals scored, which of course is 10 for the season. It suggests Bamford has - on balance - scored in line with the chances he would be expected to convert, which is always a good sign for a striker.
What is abnormal about Bamford topping this chart is that he is playing for a team who have populated the bottom half of the Premier League table for the vast majority of the season so far.
No other player in the top ten for this metric plays for a side currently in the bottom half of their respective league. This is yet another indication that Marcelo Bielsa's style of play is producing results; Bamford's inflated npxG (non-penalty xG) is a direct result of Leeds' attacking approach.
The reason no other player from a bottom half club makes the top ten is because teams lower in the table simply do not attack with the same frequency or regularity as Leeds.
It also demonstrates why Leeds can afford to be coy in the January market. The club are anticipating a quiet window, despite links with a handful of familiar faces.
Marcelo Bielsa does not need to add a striker to his ranks while Bamford is generating this kind of output.
Similarly, the Argentine does not urgently need a creative midfielder because clearly Leeds' midfielders are more than adequate when it comes to servicing Bamford based on the number of opportunities he is getting.
