Preston Appoint Graham Alexander as New Manager After Bradford Exit

Preston North End have appointed Graham Alexander as their new manager, the Championship club has confirmed. The 54-year-old leaves Bradford City, where he had been in charge since November 2023, to replace Paul Heckingbottom at Deepdale. Heckingbottom was dismissed after Preston lost six of their opening seven Championship matches this season.

Alexander is a familiar figure at Preston, having made 372 league appearances for the club across two spells as a player. He also had a brief caretaker spell in charge during the 2011-12 season. He will be joined by assistant Chris Lucketti, a former Preston teammate. Alexander said being named manager was a special feeling and that after speaking to the club he knew it was where he wanted to be.

Preston currently sit second bottom of the Championship with four points from eight matches. Alexander's first game as permanent boss is scheduled for Saturday, 10 October at home to Millwall. He takes over a side that has struggled for results at the start of the campaign.

Bradford confirmed last Thursday that they had reluctantly allowed Alexander to speak to the second-tier club. He departs with Bradford top of League One after seven games, having won five of their seven league matches this season. In his first full season in charge, he won promotion from League Two, and the club finished fourth in League One in 2025-26 before losing to Bolton Wanderers in the play-offs.

Bradford chief executive Ryan Sparks said Alexander and his staff leave the club in a much stronger position than the one they inherited, with firmer foundations in place. He added that they should be immensely proud of their achievements and that the club will always be grateful for their contribution. Alexander has also managed Fleetwood, Scunthorpe, Salford, Motherwell and MK Dons during his coaching career.

Source: BBC Sport

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