Bradford City manager Graham Alexander has revealed his excitement after signing former Manchester United midfielder Nick Powell earlier this week.
The 31-year-old was a free agent after leaving Stockport County earlier this week. He joined the Greater Manchester based side in 2023 on a three year deal following his release from Stoke City. In his first season at Edgeley Park, he helped the Hatters earn promotion from League Two, scoring three times in 32 appearances.
Last season proved to be somewhat of a disaster for the ex-England under-21 international. He featured just seven times as he suffered an array of injuries, ultimately leading to him falling out of favour.
Alexander Excited About What Powell Can Offer Bradford
Although question marks remain over Powell’s long-term fitness, Bradford boss Alexander believes his latest recruit can play a big role at Valley Parade. The Bantams have enjoyed an incredible start to the season after returning to League One for the first time since 2019 in May. They currently sit fourth in the table after four games, with their latest win ironically coming against Stockport on Tuesday night.
A trip to Peterborough United awaits this Saturday in a game where Powell could feature in the matchday squad. Addressing the signing, the 53-year-old said:
“Every signing you make has an element of risk. There’s also a leap of faith.
“You have to balance up the pros and cons, the length of the contract, the finance involved, the chat with the player – you have to put it all on the table before you actually decide.
“Everything we do is risk or reward. How we play, set-pieces, signings and if you can get the balance more towards reward, then you’re in a good place.
“I feel the reward we could potentially get from Nick and what he could get from us is worth us coming together to try and have a relationship that’s successful for both.
“The technical side of his game is undoubted. I don’t think there’s anyone he’s ever worked with who would question his quality in possession or his football intelligence.
“It’s just injuries have hit him hard, certainly in the recent season that’s just gone. He didn’t play much football at all, probably for different reasons before his injury.”
Continuing, Alexander revealed he is excited to see what the player can bring to his squad:
“He’s got great people around to help him understand what the challenge is. But I’m quite excited about what Nick can bring to us.”
Writer’s View
Bradford’s summer business has been excellent and they wouldn’t have taken a punt on Powell without doing their due diligence. The midfielder is undoubtedly an excellent talent and one that is more than capable of cutting his teeth at this level. Although not quite risk free, the fact this is a short term deal means that it is as close to it as it can be. This could be an excellent signing for the Bantams.
