Graham Alexander and David Sharpe will aim to avoid the transfer mistakes made by former boss Mark Hughes last summer.
Bradford City supporters, like those of every other club in the EFL, are surely looking forward to the summer transfer window. The excitement of who enters and departs the club is always something that stimulates these devoted members.
The summer transfer window will be the first for the Bantams under new director of football operations David Sharpe, and manager Graham Alexander will lead the team from the start of the next season, having only arrived in November 2023.
The team had a disastrous transfer window last summer. In retrospect, several players who signed multi-year contracts with the club did not match the strategies or were not talented enough for the club.
Let’s look back at last season’s summer transfer window under previous manager Mark Hughes, and what Sharpe and Alexander want to avoid this year.
Bradford should avoid handing out long contracts to ageing players
Although the club has a head of recruiting in Stephen Gent, who joined the club after receiving numerous accolades for his work at Middlesbrough, he has come under fire from Bradford fans for the number of mistakes relative to hits in terms of incoming signings.
Ash Taylor proved to be a fruitless signing for the team. He signed a two-year contract with the club after leaving Kilmarnock FC in the Scottish Premier League. However, Taylor made only 12 league appearances for the club before his contract was mutually terminated at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Clark Oduor entered the club as a left-back, but over the season, he has played in a variety of midfield positions and has risen to a second striker role. Oduor appeared to be a world-beater at this level for a few games in a row, but this was short-lived.
Furthermore, Tyler Smith joined the club on a three-year contract and has only really showed something of note against the younger Premier League sides in the EFL Trophy, finishing as the competition’s top scorer with six goals, but has failed in the league when given an opportunity.
Kevin McDonald, who signed on a two-year contract, had his ups and downs, but he did better as interim manager before Alexander was appointed.
Giving players who are presumably looking for last-minute cash two-year plus contracts has put the club in a tough situation. They will most likely try to move Oduor on with stronger options in attacking midfield.
Bradford City must sign players for the system and tactics
Another issue Sharpe and Alexander will want to avoid is recruiting players who do not match the way they intend to organize next season.
After leading the team to the playoffs the previous season with a flat back four, Hughes abandoned this strategy in favor of a back three with wingbacks. Despite having few wing-back options, Hughes was unable to effectively replace Romoney Crichlow, who added a yard of pace to the defence, which had been a problem all season.
Furthermore, the Bantams struggled with their midfield throughout the season. McDonald and captain Richie Smallwood were the club’s sole defensive-minded center midfielders, while Jamie Walker and Alex Pattison were more attacking.
Unfortunately, the former missed a significant portion of the season due to injuries. With Alexander also liking a back three with wing-backs, it is critical that the recruitment matches the club’s strategies for next season and that there are enough quality players to fill the team.
Bradford should expect interesting days with Sharpe and Alexander. However, if the team is to truly give itself a chance of climbing back through the EFL, it must learn from its mistakes of the previous 12 months.
