Bradford City have confirmed the departure of Bantams scholar Alfie Bradshaw today with the 16-year-old joining Premier League club Nottingham Forest to progress in their Academy, in a tweet on Bradford’s official club Twitter account.
The teenager had only signed a scholarship with the West Yorkshire outfit this summer after rising through the ranks with the Bantams, the 16-year-old impressing those at Valley Parade.
Now, he’ll switch Yorkshire for Nottinghamshire with the youngster initially joining Forest as a scholar before going on to pen a professional contract with the club in September which will run until 2026.
Bradford will be gutted to lose another prized starlet, Bradshaw not the first Academy product at the club to move onto pastures new higher up the pyramid.
Bradford’s Impressive Track Record
Bradford have a track record for producing high-quality youngsters that end up moving onto the Premier League, with the likes of Sahil Bashir departing Bradford for Brighton alongside ex Bantams duo Alvin Ayman and Max Ruddock leaving for Wolves.
Bashir has even impressed in recent weeks for Brighton in the U18 set-up, scoring and assisting a goal in the Seagulls’ recent 4-3 win in the U18 Premier League over West Brom. The now 17-year-old has gone on to make 20 appearances so far for the Seagulls in his age bracket, the winger touted for big things.
Alfie Bradshaw – who is also a midfielder – will hope he can replicate the former Bradford teenager’s career path and go on to make a name for himself at Nottingham Forest in the years to come.
What’s Been Said?
In a tweet on the Bantams’ official Twitter, the club confirmed the departure of their first-year scholar to Nottingham Forest. It read:
⚽️ | Best of luck to first-year scholar Alfie Bradshaw, who has completed a permanent move to @premierleague side @NFFC. #BCAFC | @bantamsacademy | @TLDallasGroup pic.twitter.com/ebvb9l0Kn9
— Bradford City AFC (@officialbantams) August 23, 2023
His new club also confirmed the deal, with Nottingham Forest’s Head of Academy Chris McGuane delighted to get the deal over the line and sign the 16-year-old attacking midfielder.
He said: “We are delighted to welcome Alfie to Nottingham Forest and look forward to working with him to develop both on and off the pitch.
“Alfie is a player we have admired and closely monitored so we are pleased both he and his family see the opportunity with us as the next step in his development.
“Everyone at the club sends their congratulations to Alfie and we wish him all the very best as he joins the Academy at this very exciting time.”
Writer’s View
If you were a Bradford City fan, you might well be annoyed that the club has offloaded another highly-rated youngster – fans on social media voicing their frustrations that Bradshaw has upped and moved to Forest.
But, if you’re the player involved, joining the likes of Nottingham Forest and further progressing in their Academy is a no-brainer and a deal the club most likely didn’t want to thwart.
Bantams supporters will just hope that this crop of wonderkids that are coming through at Valley Parade can come good staying in West Yorkshire and one day become heroes in City colours instead of opting for a move away.
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