Bradford grant Preston permission to speak to Graham Alexander

Bradford City have given Preston North End permission to speak to manager Graham Alexander about the vacant job at Deepdale, the club confirmed in a statement reported by BBC Sport. Bradford said they had agreed reluctantly to the approach from the Championship side. Permission for discussions has been granted, but the report did not announce an appointment or Alexander’s departure.

Watch the highlights:

Preston are seeking a replacement for Paul Heckingbottom, who was dismissed earlier this month after two years in charge. His sacking followed six defeats in the club’s opening seven league matches. North End are now second from bottom in the Championship, having collected four points from eight games, as the search for a new manager continues.

BBC Radio Lancashire reported that Preston had reduced their search to two remaining candidates. The approach to Alexander comes with his current side leading League One after winning five of their first seven matches. Bradford’s statement confirmed that Preston had contacted the club specifically about their managerial vacancy before permission was given for Alexander to speak to them.

Alexander, 54, has longstanding connections with Preston from his playing career. Across two spells at the club, he made 372 league appearances, and he also had a five-match period as caretaker manager during the 2011-12 season. He ended his playing career with North End at the conclusion of that campaign, when he was 40.

At Bradford, Alexander took charge in November 2023 and secured promotion from League Two in his first full season. His side then finished fourth in League One in 2025-26 before losing to Bolton Wanderers in the play-offs. The former Scotland international remains under contract at Valley Parade until the end of next season, according to the BBC report.

Alexander’s managerial career has also included spells with Fleetwood, Scunthorpe, Salford, Motherwell and MK Dons. Preston’s next league match after the international break is at home against Millwall on Saturday, 10 October. For now, the confirmed development is Bradford’s consent to talks, with BBC Radio Lancashire’s reporting indicating that Preston’s selection process still involves two candidates.