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If Nahki goes, what then?

Article by Timothy Feather

Talk is rife at the moment of the future of Bradford City’s top scorer Nahki Wells. He has been a key player for Bradford City since joining from Carlisle United in July 2011 scoring 52 goals for the club. There are different possibilities which have been mentioned, from Low Premier League to high Championship clubs being interested in the Bermudan or the hope that he will stay for the rest of the season.

An offer from Peterborough in the Summer was laughed off by Bradford City and the player alike, but one of the leading clubs for Wells in the January transfer window is Queens Park Rangers with a fee of around £3 million being speculated. It also came out last week that SPL champions Celtic are on the lookout for a new goal scorer and Wells has attracted attention from north of the border. Celtic have struggled to continue the same scoring prowess that they had last season after losing Gary Hooper to Norwich. It would be a very attractive move for a 23 year old striker, despite the SPL not being the toughest of leagues in the world; it is a place where silverware is very much guaranteed, as is Champions League football.

Should the scenario manifest itself and Wells moves on to pastures new, what are the options for Phil Parkinson?

The most obvious is to try and bring in a new striker which fits into the system that Phil Parkinson plays. City would need a striker who is opportunistic, gambles on every chance, a real poacher but can provide a clinical finish. To find this player, Bradford have the option to maybe drop into the non-league which is full of striking talent at the moment. The Skrill North is home to Altrincham’s Damien Reeves, who started his career with a team local to Bradford, Farsley Celtic. He doesn’t have any Football League experience which is definitely a negative but he has scored 15 goals in 33 games.

If City did not want to go too low for a striker, then the Skrill Premier has a pool of goal scoring talent which City can dip into. Kidderminster, who currently sit 2nd in the Skrill Premier, is home to 22 year old Anthony Malbon. He was released from Port Vale as a youngster but has played 71 times for the Harriers scoring 32 goals. Or there is FC Halifax Town’s Lee Gregory, he has provided 4 assists and 13 goals in just 17 games. He has attracted attention of many other clubs including League One rivals, MK Dons. Karl Robinson was impressed with Gregory when he played against the Dons when the two sides met in the FA Cup. Gregory however is only a part-time player and currently injured with a broken hand which could harm his momentum this season.

Bradford could look at players who are currently without a club; Ex-Scunthorpe striker Paul Hayes reached a mutual termination of his contract with Brentford last week. Hayes made only one appearance for the Bees this season before leaving to go on loan at Plymouth Argyle where he made just four appearances. Hayes is a proven goal scorer at League One level, he played 68 times for the Iron scoring an impressive 27 goals whilst he was there. Could Phil Parkinson give him his chance to try and save his career?

The Bantams have the option to try and sign the recommended St Johnstone striker, Stevie May. Stevie May has scored 15 goals in 27 appearances so far this season. City will definitely face competition for the young striker, Celtic have been interested in May and Peterborough had a bid rejected in the summer. Another team looking at May are Bradford City’s League One rivals, Rotherham United. No money has been put on the table by the Millers, but it has been speculated that they will not have the spending power to capture him. It was suggested however that Rotherham were willing to break the clubs transfer record to sign the Scot which was thought to be around £160k. Rotherham may not have the spending power but if Bradford City were to sell Nahki for a respectable figure, would they have the spending power?

If Bradford did not want to sign a new player or not be able to make a new signing what would be Parkinson’s options then, a replacement already in the team, or a change of system perhaps? If Bradford City were to look and adapt the system they currently play, they could move to a system they reverted to against Shrewsbury when Wells went off injured. James Hanson, who has just signed a new deal with the Bantams, played as a lone striker with Garry Thompson, Mark Yeates and Kyel Reid supporting him. This new system could take a little bit of time to gel, but Yeates is a good finisher and Thompson and Reid can come in from the wing to score which they have done in the past.

Bradford could turn to their own ranks and see if anybody is willing to step up to the plate. 30 year old Alan Connell is loved by Bradford City fans and some believe he hasn’t been given a fair crack of the whip, featuring primarily as a substitute. He has come up with a few goals from the bench but has never really impressed when given a shot in the first team. He certainly knows how to score and doesn’t give up, showing determination to try and get onto every loose ball. If not Connell, then City have a very promising youth player, Ollver McBurnie. He is a prospect that has got Bantam’s fans excited and has recently broken into the first team featuring on the bench. He has scored 21 goals in the youth team and will be hoping he can continue that form in the first team if he gets the chance.

Bradford City have a number of options and possibilities should the worst case situation happen. We can try and replace Wells with somebody new or we can try and adapt the system that we play and hope somebody else steps up to the plate and scores. However, nobody involved with Bradford City want Nahki Wells to go, and hope he stays, at least for the duration of the season.

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