Bradford City chief confirms two reasons why Graham Alexander wanted to leave for Preston | OneFootball

Ryan Spark, Bradford City's chief executive officer, has revealed the two reasons Graham Alexander has left and joined Preston North End...

Graham Alexander has left Bradford City to take charge of Preston North End despite sitting top of League One, with Bradford's chief executive officer Ryan Spark confirming two critical reasons why.

The former Scotland international had guided Bradford City to an impressive start in League One, with the Bantams setting the pace in the third tier and looking like genuine promotion contenders again in 2026/27.

Instead, Graham Alexander has opted to step back into the Championship, replacing Paul Heckingbottom at Deepdale, with Preston currently inside the relegation places on just four points. It is a remarkable reversal of fortunes, with Alexander swapping a promotion push for a relegation battle and leaving Bradford with a huge void to fill.

The reasons why Graham Alexander is leaving Bradford for Preston

Alexander has left the club to take up the vacant position at his former club as a player, with Bradford's assistant manager Chris Lucketti joining him at Deepdale. Ryan Spark has explained two clear reasons why in a statement to the Bradford City official website.

He said: “Preston North End made a formal approach to us on Wednesday afternoon and, following discussions, Graham made clear that he wished to explore it. Permission was subsequently granted for talks to take place.

“Those discussions took place 24 hours later, after which Graham confirmed he wished to accept Preston’s offer. Appropriate terms were then agreed between the clubs to allow the move to proceed.”

The two reasons are as follows, with Spark adding: “We knew managing in the Championship was an ambition of Graham’s and, given his long-standing connection with Preston, understood why he wanted to pursue the move.”

He concluded: “Our responsibility throughout was to act in the best interests of Bradford City. Once terms had been agreed on that basis, we felt it was important to respect the wishes of Graham and Chris.”

Graham Alexander's Preston North End career

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Alexander enjoyed a distinguished playing career, but it was at Preston where he established himself as a true club legend. The full-back spent more than a decade at Deepdale across two spells, making 421 appearances and scoring 66 goals.

He helped Preston win promotion from the Second Division in 2000 and later captained the club during their lengthy stay in the Championship. Alexander also represented Burnley, Luton Town, and Scunthorpe United, while earning around 40 Scotland caps and featuring at the 1998 World Cup.

His leadership, consistency, and longevity made him one of Preston's most respected modern figures — making his return to Deepdale in the dugout an interesting one and a homecoming in many ways. He already has grace with the fans and that will help him settle in quickly, which players and fans alike both need at the present time.

Graham Alexander's Bradford City legacy

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It's fair to say Bradford are losing a huge figure at a time when they are flying. In their first season back in League One since 2019, the Bantams secured a fourth-placed finish and a place in the play-offs, only to see their promotion hopes ended by Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals.

Alexander departs with Bradford sitting top of League One after seven games this season and through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. They also made a winning start to their Jersey Mike’s Trophy campaign in their most recent outing as well.

During his time at Valley Parade, the former Scotland international won 79 of his 158 matches, which is a 50% win rate. That record places him second among Bradford managers to have overseen at least 20 competitive games, while he sits top of the list for those to have managed 65 or more matches at the club.

The club has been transformed since he took charge in November 2023, with a solid foundation still in place for 2026/27. That said, it won't necessarily mean someone can come in and pick up from where he left off. Bradford and Preston could even swap leagues in the near future.