By all accounts, Bradford City‘s first season back in League One was a massive success despite the way their campaign ended.
The Bantams were firmly tipped to be in and around the relegation mix or mid-table come the end of the season, but defied the odds with the club fixed within the top seven for the entirety of the campaign.
Propelled by their home form, City reached the playoffs, where they came unstuck against Bolton Wanderers. But those two games, and a large portion of the final stretch of the season, highlighted one major flaw: that the club is screaming out for new strikers.
Where Things Currently Stand
At the end of the season, Graham Alexander had five strikers at his disposal in one form or another. Three were contracted to the club permanently in Will Swan, Stephen Humphrys and Kayden Jackson, while the other two in Ethan Wheatley and Paul Mullin, were loans from Manchester United and Wrexham respectively.
That latter pair, combined with Jackson, were all brought to the club in the January window, seemingly as a plan to get more bodies up front amid injury woes for Swan and Andy Cook, who was later loaned out to Grimsby Town.
While no news of his future has come yet, it is safe to say that the 35-year-old is not coming back to Valley Parade, and considering their failure to impress, neither will Mullin or Wheatley on a permanent basis.
Is An Overhaul Needed?
At the end of the season, only two Bradford City players reached double figures for goals scored in League One: Antoni Sarcevic and Bobby Pointon, their best attacking midfield options.
While Swan had an amazing start to the season, he tapered off with only two goals to his name this calendar year, unable to recapture that early-season form.
Humphrys was the best of the options with seven to his name, and until Kayden Jackson’s arrival was the number one choice for Graham Alexander, but the former Barnsley man was hot and cold for much of the campaign.
Jackson has now become the heir apparent to Cook’s status as City’s starting striker, but whether he can be as effective across a full season remains to be seen, given his past as more of a winger while at Derby County.
That, perhaps, emphasises the need to find some new options as a number nine this summer to fill the gaps needed in this squad.
The Wigan Connection
One thing that has been a regular occurrence in Bradford City’s recent transfer dealings has been the recruitment of current and former Wigan Athletic players.
That stems from the current head of Football Operations, David Sharpe, who was at the Latics between 2015 and 2019 as chairman following the exit of his grandfather Dave Whelan.
In recent years, City have secured former Latics, including current club captain Max Power, Lee Evans, Curtis Tilt, Nick Powell and Mullin, who was on loan at the club prior to his Bradford move.
Could Will Keane Be A Viable Option?
A player who fits that mould, while also providing a shrewd deal as he heads towards becoming a free agent, is Will Keane, who played at the Brick Community Stadium between 2020 and 2023.
Someone who would be familiar to Tilt, Power and Evans, the Irish forward is on the verge of leaving Preston North End, with the Lancashire Post reporting that he will not be handed a renewed deal at Deepdale and his loan club in Reading already passing on the opportunity to recruit him full-time.
At 33, he is no spring chicken, but he showed limited ounces of the player he was when winning the League One golden boot at Wigan, with two goals to his name across 500 playing minutes while dealing with injury issues.
That already puts him on better steading than Mullin or Wheatley, who failed to score in nine and 12 appearances respectively while wearing claret and amber.
Other Options Crucial To Success
As much as a free agent deal for Will Keane might provide some experience as an out-and-out striker, which the club is lacking in right now, the 33-year-old should not be the only face through the door up front if Bradford want to improve their output next season.
January raised the possibility of signing Burton Albion‘s Jake Beesley, with Football League World reporting that it was both City and Luton Town pursuing the 29-year-old, who remained at the Pirelli Stadium.
It is an option like him, or Exeter City‘s Jayden Wareham, who they might be able to strike a deal for given the Grecians’ relegation, that the Bantams should be pursuing this window first and foremost.
Putting that consistency up front in what was Bradford City’s weakest position next season will surely put them on better footing for repeating their fourth-place finish and prove this opening campaign in League One was more than an overachievement.
