Leeds United moved up to second in the Championship table earlier this week and they are now in the automatic promotion places alongside Leicester City.
The Whites beat Swansea 4-0 away from home and that allowed them to leapfrog rivals Southampton, who had been beaten 3-1 by Bristol City.
Daniel Farke was brought in last summer and the German head coach has done a fantastic job so far as his side are competing for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
The former Norwich City tactician has also showcased his ability to bring through and develop young players as Mateo Joseph and Archie Gray have emerged as first-team options.
He had worked with and developed the likes of James Maddison, Max Aarons, Andrew Omobamidele, and Ben Godfrey, among others, during his time with the Canaries, and could work his magic once again with Whites youngster Sonny Perkins, who could be Patrick Bamford's long-term successor.
The 20-year-old whiz returned from a disappointing loan spell with Oxford United in January but could still have the potential to be a future star for Leeds, if Farke can get the best out of him and provide the talented gem with the opportunities that Joseph has had.
Mateo Joseph's emergence this season
The Spanish-born striker has had chances to impress the former Borussia Monchengladbach head coach this season with 12 first-team appearances.
He has played nine times in the Championship, with all of those outings coming as a substitute, and featured in all three of the club's FA Cup matches so far.
His first senior start of the 2023/24 campaign came against Plymouth in the FA Cup at Home Park earlier this month in a 4-1 win, in extra time, for the Whites.
Joseph came incredibly close to opening his account early on in the match as he brilliantly worked room for himself in the box before lashing a shot towards the top corner, only to see the goalkeeper brilliantly tip it over the bar.
His first-team emergence came after an impressive return of 20 goals and three assists in 37 appearances for the club at U18 and U21 level combined.
However, the England U20 international, who has scored three goals in ten matches for his country at that age group, has not had a loan away from Yorkshire to play regular first-team football yet.
Farke has provided him with an opportunity to showcase his quality in the senior squad without an external development process at another club.
Perkins, on the other hand, spent the first half of the season on loan with Oxford United in League One and endured a frustrating time with the third tier club.
However, one bad loan should not ruin his prospects entirely as the potential is still there for him to emerge as a successor to Bamford, who is now on the wrong side of 30 and out of contract in 2026.
Patrick Bamford's form this season
The former England international, who turns 31 later this year, has been in impressive form of late for the Yorkshire-based outfit but struggled at the start of the season.
Bamford failed to provide a single goal or assist for the club in his first 16 league appearances of the 2023/24 campaign, although all of those outings came as a substitute, as Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter had nailed down the starting spots.
Since then, the 30-year-old marksman has contributed with four goals and one assist in six Championship starts for Leeds since the turn of the year.
His most recent goal – against Rotherham United – did come in controversial fashion, though, as the former Chelsea prospect appeared to guide the ball into the back of the net with his arm, which was not spotted by the officials.
The English attacker, therefore, does not need to be immediately replaced but his contract expires in 2026 and Farke may already have one eye on what life will look like after him.
Bamford, who has scored 56 goals in 176 matches for Leeds in all competitions throughout his career, is a left-footed centre-forward who has provided goals at a respectable rate, and Perkins has the potential to emerge as his successor.
Sonny Perkins' goalscoring potential
The 20-year-old number nine, who is also a left-footed dynamo, was sent back to the Whites in January as Oxford boss Des Buckingham revealed that he was unfortunate to have two experienced options ahead of him that led to just three League One appearances.
However, Perkins' form at youth level for West Ham United, Leeds and England throughout his short career so far suggests that the quality is there for him to become a first-team option for Farke in the future.
He has played 16 times for his country from U15 up to U19 level to date and contributed with ten goals, which a return of one strike every 1.6 games on average.
Prior to his move to Yorkshire, Perkins plundered 21 goals and provided five assists in 55 matches for West Ham at U18 and U21 level combined.
The young whiz, who former boss Michael Skubala once hailed as a "goal machine", joined Leeds for the 2022/23 campaign and hit the ground running with a return of 12 goals and three assists in 20 Premier League 2 outings, including the play-offs.
These statistics suggest that the 20-year-old finisher can find the back of the net on a regular basis when on-form and playing consistently, given his form for two clubs and his country, but Perkins must now prove it at the top level.
He did score his first senior goal for the Whites with a strike off the bench against Cardiff in the FA Cup at the start of 2023, in a 2-2 draw in Wales, which shows that the gem can score in a first-team setting.
Appearances
42
28
Goals
23
17
Assists
Five
Two
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, both Perkins and Joseph have been prolific for Leeds, and West Ham in the former's case, at U21 level as centre-forwards.
Farke, therefore, has two fantastic young prospects in the number nine position but the former Oxford United loanee may need a bit more work on the training pitch after his frustrating loan spell.
The German head coach must work his magic with Perkins, having developed many young talents throughout his career as aforementioned, to unearth his potential and find a long-term successor to Bamford up front for the Championship side.