Bradford City eyeing ex-Sheffield United manager as Graham Alexander to Preston nears | OneFootball

The Bantams are looking towards an ex-player as one of the managers on their shortlist for their imminent vacancy

Bradford City are looking to move swiftly to appoint a successor to Graham Alexander in the Valley Parade dugout, with recently axed Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom very much in the frame.

There is not yet a vacancy at the West Yorkshire outfit, who currently top the League One standings, with Alexander still in position.

However, the former Scotland international is poised to take the job at Deepdale that Heckingbottom recently lost, with Alan Nixon reporting that a deal has been struck between the two clubs, which involves PNE paying a compensation package to the Bantams for the 54-year-old's services.

Bradford City place recently sacked Preston North End manager on shortlist

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Bradford next play in league action next Saturday when they travel south to take on Reading, and with Alexander's departure imminent, the City hierarchy will presumably look to move as quick as they possibly can.

And as per the aformentioned Nixon, it is claimed that Heckingbottom is high on their shortlist to take charge of the third tier high-flyers.

If the 49-year-old were to land the job, he would bring Bantams icon Stuart McCall with him as his number two - he played 443 times across two stints for them, as well as managing them on three separate occasions on a full-time basis, but he would be second in-command if hired again.

Heckingbottom himself is no stranger to the goings on at Valley Parade - he too played for the club in his heyday as a defender, joining from Norwich City in 2003, winning their Player of the Year award in his debut season before signing for Sheffield Wednesday after suffering relegation to League One.

Hecky would rejoin Bradford when in League Two in 2007, spending two years there before dropping into non-league for his final years, but he could now return as a manager after spells at PNE, Sheffield United, Barnsley and other clubs around the UK.

Do Bradford City fans want Paul Heckingbottom as their manager?

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It appears that Bradford City fans on social media are very much split on the prospect of Heckingbottom and McCall being hired as a duo to succeed Alexander in the dugout.

There has been some positive response to the potential appointment, with one supporter saying that the club simply 'have' to go after the pair.

Another Bradford fan is confused at any negativity surrounding the potential appointment.

There is however some less-than positive feeling surrounding Heckingbottom and McCall, especially given their poor stint at Preston recently.

The City hierarchy have been urged by one fan to steer clear of the pair as they'd be 'lazy' hires.

One fan has even gone to the lengths of labelling their arrivals as 'disgraceful', which may be slightly strong given Heckingbottom has plenty of Championship pedigree.

Paul Heckingbottom may have stiff competition for Bradford City job if he wants it

If Heckingbottom wants to jump straight back into work with Bradford, then he'll no doubt be near the front of the queue for the job.

His win record at PNE wasn't good by any metric, but you could argue that coming into the job in 2024 after Ryan Lowe's shock resignation, without the ability to sign anyone of significance himself, was quite tough, and even though he was finally given funds to spend this summer, he didn't get a long time to work with his fresh crop.

Previously, Heckingbottom has done good work with the likes of Sheffield United and Barnsley, winning promotion with both and taking the former back to the Premier League, but he was less fruitful at Leeds and Hibernian - a mixed bag indeed.

His usage of a wing-back system at PNE and Sheffield United could be perfect for the Bradford job, given they're set up to play a 3-4-2-1 formation, and his knowledge of the club would make him a good fit too, but there's going to be a lot of interest in the job given the upward trajectory the club are on.