The 'big issue' that Bradford City face in appointing Gary Rowett revealed | OneFootball

Bradford City could encounter a significant hurdle in their efforts to replace Graham Alexander with Gary Rowett

Gary Rowett is among a number of names to have been eyed up by Bradford City following Graham Alexander's sudden departure from the League One high-flyers, who are reportedly facing one 'big issue' in their efforts to hire the former Leicester City boss.

Bradford were powerless to prevent Alexander departing West Yorkshire in order to return to Preston North End for a relegation battle in the Championship despite occupying top-spot in League One after seven matches of the 2026/27 campaign.

Mark Trueman is expected to stand-in for the Bantams' return to league action in the form of a trip to ninth-placed Reading, but beyond Saturday afternoon's showdown, it remains unclear who will be succeeding Alexander at Valley Parade.

Rowett represents one of the more recent names to have entered the frame as Bradford's key decision-makers continue to mull over available candidates, although a "big issue" that the third-tier table-toppers are now facing in a bid to seal this potential appointment has been revealed in a new update.

Bradford City facing "big issue" in replacing Graham Alexander with Gary Rowett

Recent chatter had suggested interest from Bradford in looking to bring Rowett back into management following an unsuccessful stint with Leicester in the second-half of the previous season, and a fresh update from Alan Nixon of The Sun has provided further details.

According to Nixon's report, Rowett is indeed in the Bantams' sights and is said to "tick a lot of boxes" across the checklist of the Yorkshire club, who are seemingly eager to seal his appointment sooner rather than later.

However, Nixon does note a significant hurdle that could threaten City's ability to land their man. His update adds that there is a "big issue" in persuading Rowett to drop down to League One, with the 52-year-old having never actually managed at that level.

Rowett turned Burton Albion into consistent League Two promotion contenders in what marked his first managerial gig between 2012 and 2014 before leaving for Birmingham City, and has since held down a variety of second-tier roles with the likes of Derby County, Stoke City, Millwall and Oxford United.

He took charge of two separate Championship clubs last season in Oxford and Leicester, who were both relegated at the end of the campaign, though his own stance on dipping into League One for the first time in his career remains unclear at this moment in time.

Gary Rowett would be an impressive appointment for Bradford City

Rowett's CV proves exactly why this would be an impressive appointment for Bradford if they can successfully thrash out a deal and convince the ex-Blues boss to dive into the third-tier, with the club's existing promotion push potentially capable of providing ample incentive that they won't be there for too much longer.

There's a reason why Rowett has spent such a long time in Championship dugouts, even if it's hard to deny that his stock has dipped somewhat in recent years.

He's equipped with taking on big challenges, and though many of those have involved relegation dogfights towards the foot of the second-tier, it's that proven track record at a higher level that would make an appointment such a shrewd action from the Bantams.

Whether they are capable of doing so, of course, hangs firmly in the balance at this stage and it will be interesting to see how the next seven days play out, although his Championship-level expertise and direct, pragmatic approach would suit what is a functional counter-attacking squad down to the ground and could promise to continue the groundwork laid down by Alexander.

Gary Rowett is among a number of names linked with Bradford City

Bradford are chasing a return to the second-tier for the first time in more than 20 years after losing out in last season's play-off semi-finals in the wake of clinching automatic promotion from League Two, and trying to find a new manager capable of harnessing that momentum and maintaining the direction of travel throughout much of Alexander's successful reign is of utmost importance.

They're in such a strong position at the minute, and that offers up little in the way of margin for error.

Naturally, then, Bradford appear to be relatively ambitious in their varying pursuits of replacements for Alexander, with Paul Heckingbottom having ironically been eyed following his sacking from Preston - which, of course, has turned out to provide serious implications across the Pennines, and the ex-Sheffield United boss has now opted out.

More recently, though, the other name continually emerging in contention is Michael Duff, who has a more mixed reputation from mixed spells with Swansea City and then Huddersfield Town and Wycombe Wanderers in League One after taking Barnsley to the play-off final in 2023.

Duff has a solid body of work at this level, but of all the figures to have been linked with the vacancy in recent times, it could be argued that the Northern Irishman would be the most underwhelming candidate.