Report: Preston North End ask Bradford City for permission to speak to Graham Alexander
PNE are looking for a new manager.
Preston North End have made an official approach to Bradford City, asking for permission to speak to manager Graham Alexander.
That’s according to a new report from John Percy of the Telegraph.
Alexander, 54, made 421 appearances for North End as a player. Along with assistant Chris Lucketti, who himself played over 200 times for PNE, he has led the resurgence of the Bantams since arriving at Valley Parade in November 2023.
They were promoted from League Two in 2025 and finished fourth in League One last season, but ultimately lost in the play-off semi finals to Bolton Wanderers.
This season, Bradford sit top of the third tier after seven games with five wins and two defeats. They boast the best defensive record in the division, having only shipped four goals.
Should he become PNE boss, it would be Alexander’s first managerial role in the Championship.
He was asked last week in a press conference about the links between himself and the vacancy.
He told BBC West Yorkshire Sport: “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.
““It's a good thing. It means you've got good players, you've got a good 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.
“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.”
He added: “I’m pretty consistent with how I do things, it’s the next opportunity, the next game. I don’t look too far in the future.
“I’m at peace with what football management is, I’ve been on the wrong side of it, but I'm at peace with that.
“I don't walk around thinking that I could get the sack. When we lost two games a couple of weeks ago, getting the sack was not on my mind. I know it could happen at any moment, but on the other side, it's not on my mind either.”