Bradford City manager Graham Alexander has admitted that it is ‘normal’ to be linked with other roles after rumours surfaced this week that he could be of interest to Championship outfit Preston North End.
The Lilywhites are on the search for a new manager after opting to part company with Paul Heckingbottom at the weekend. The 49-year-old was shown the exit door after two years at Deepdale following a run of six league defeats from their opening seven fixtures, culminating in a 1-0 home reverse against Lincoln City on Saturday.
Alexander is a well-known figure at Preston, having made over 400 appearances during two spells at the club between 1999 and 2012. He also received his first taste in management during his second stint when he took over on a caretaker basis alongside David Unsworth in late 2011.
Alexander Links Surface
Due to his history with the club, it is understandable that Alexander has been linked with a return to Lancashire. These links are strengthened thanks to the job he has performed at Bradford, in which he guided the club back to League One in 2025.
This saw him win the League Two Manager of the Season and he built on that momentum by reaching the League One play-offs last season. This season has started equally well, with the Yorkshire-based club currently sitting third in the table.
Preston Rumours ‘Normal’
Bradford travel to Luton Town on Saturday as they hope to keep the pressure on league leaders Sheffield Wednesday. Speaking ahead of the game, Alexander admitted he has heard the rumours of a potential switch to Preston, which he claims are an easy link to make due to his history with the club. Speaking to The Telegraph and Argus, he said:
“It’s been limited, what I’ve seen, because it’s only through second-hand. I’m not on social media.
“I don’t go around looking at It. I’ve got enough on my plate, dealing with 25 players and the team.
“I don’t think it’s the first time I’ve been linked with Preston North End because of my history there. My relationship is well documented over many, many interviews for the last two decades on what happened with me at that particular club.
“I don’t know how big it is outside, because I have no relevance to that.
“But I think it’s normal. I speak about transfer windows and interest in your players.
“It’s a good thing. It means you’ve got good players, you’ve got a good team.
“When you’re winning games, and you’re consistently winning games season in, season out, of course, there’s going to be a spotlight and a profile on whoever’s impacted on those results.
“It’s staff members, it’s managers, it’s coaches, it’s players, sporting directors, everybody. It highlights that.
“I think any speculation about any of us here is due to the fact that we’ve, as a club, done a lot of good things over a sustained period of time.”
Despite the rumours, the same report states that no formal approach has been received from Preston.
