Bradford City told to swerve move for ex-Sheffield Wednesday star | OneFootball

FLW's Bradford City fan pundit hopes that his club looks for a younger striker to bolster the frontline this summer

Bradford City's first campaign back in League One after six seasons in the fourth tier was a big success, as the Bantams were in the promotion conversation all year, leading to a fourth-placed finish.

And ahead of the 2026/27 season, it seems a no-brainer as to where Graham Alexander's side needs to improve to ensure that they maintain their promotion credentials.

The Bantams recorded the second-lowest scoring return in the top half of League One this past season, netting just 58 times, fewer than the likes of Leyton Orient and Peterborough United, who finished just above the drop zone.

More concerning is that the brunt of that tally was taken up by their attacking midfielders, Antoni Sarcevic and Bobby Pointon, who netted 11 and 10 goals respectively — the only Bradford players to finish the campaign in double digits.

Graham Alexander's side lacked a presence up front all year. It was something they tried to fix in the January transfer window, with Kayden Jackson, Paul Mullin and Ethan Wheatley all arriving at the club, the latter two on loan, but they managed just three goals between them, all scored by Jackson.

So, a new frontman is right at the top of the transfer wishlist at Valley Parade, and a move back to Yorkshire to play in Bradford for former Barnsley, Rotherham United and Sheffield Wednesday man Michael Smith is being reported by Alan Nixon as something the Bantams are keen on orchestrating.

Bradford City fan pundit sceptical about Michael Smith transfer talk

Smith has spent the last year at Preston North End following his departure from Sheffield Wednesday by mutual consent, amidst all the off-field issues surrounding former Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri and his inability to pay his staff on time.

The 34-year-old has been used mainly off the bench for the Lilywhites in the Championship, making just 13 starts of his 37 total appearances. He managed to find the back of the net three times.

His recent third-tier forays have been very successful, though, earning promotion in each of his last four campaigns at the level with Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday.

Despite that, FLW's Bradford fan pundit, Boris Thomson, feels that the 34-year-old's best years are behind him, and that experience doesn't always translate to success, as the Bantams learned first-hand last season.

"Michael Smith. That's... interesting," Thomson said, sceptically. "We signed Paul Mullin in the window just gone, and that looked promising at the time. We thought that his experience could carry us through in the run-in.

"I saw him play live once, and it was for about 25 minutes off the bench, and he didn't look up for it. He looked leggy and didn't look ready for a battle.

"I'm not necessarily saying that Smith would be the same, but as veteran strikers go, he strikes me as one who could be in the category of maybe being a little bit past it. Could we benefit from his experience? Probably. But will he be the main man to revolutionise the team?"

The fan pundit doesn't disagree that the striker position is something that needs to be looked at this summer at Valley Parade, but he suggests that Bradford look to bring in someone with more of a ceiling than the 34-year-old.

"We lacked a proper target man this season who could consistently score. We had it for a bit with Will Swan at the start of the year, but when he faded off, we struggled for goals," he continued.

"Would Smith be that consistent threat up front? I don't think so.

"I think we need to look at the younger end of the spectrum. Someone promising and proven. I know that's hard to find, but there will be someone out there. If it requires heavy investment, then I'm all for it."

Michael Smith would be a solid pickup for Bradford City, but he can't be the only striker addition

Smith's last two seasons in the second tier saw him score 18 times for Rotherham in the 2021/22 campaign, and 17 the year after with Sheffield Wednesday, helping the Owls to promotion in that famous play-off campaign under Darren Moore.

As Thomson alluded to, though, Smith has aged since then, and there's no guarantee that, four years later, he can replicate those kinds of numbers or even play the minutes required to achieve them.

But, there's no doubting the promotion pedigree and presence that the 34-year-old would add to the strikers department at Valley Parade, and if Smith's arrival were to complement a more dynamic, typically 'exciting' signing, then there's no reason why the Bantams shouldn't pursue it.

With the League One line-up looking as competitive as ever on paper ahead of next season, Bradford will need all the experience they can get to ensure they don't finish in a lower position than they did in their first year back.

Smith would provide that, but he shouldn't be all that Bradford relies on this summer to bolster their attacking ranks.