PATRICK BAMFORD stayed at Chessington World of Adventures after signing for Chelsea.
The striker joined the Blues from Nottingham Forest for £1.5million on transfer deadline day in January 2012.
He has now revealed that he and other signings were housed at the nearby theme park after arriving at Chelsea.
Chessington is located less than five miles from the club’s Cobham training ground.
Bamford recalled his stay at Chessington’s hotel complex on his My Mate’s A Footballer podcast with comedian Joe Wilkinson.
The Leeds forward explained: “I think Chelsea had an agreement where, like, the young lads who signed could stay in there for a few weeks.”
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Then aged 19, Bamford had made just two senior appearances for Forest before his deadline day move to Stamford Bridge.
He continued: “It wasn’t too bad. I’d not really been down to London that much.
“So as soon as we finished training and stuff, I was meeting up with my new team-mates and friends and doing stuff and just seeing things…”
Asked if he used to go on the rides at Chessington, he added: “No, I actually, I never, I stayed there for three or four weeks and I never went on any of the rides.”
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Bamford went on to spend five years with Chelsea before being sold to Middlesbrough in 2017.
He failed to make a single first-team appearances during that time, though, and was loaned out seven times before his departure.
The 30-year-old is now into his sixth season with Leeds, making 11 appearances in the Championship so far this term.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
