YESTERDAY we looked back on five occasions where City got their mid-season transfer business spot on.
But for every Lee Novak, Charlie Wyke, Josh Cullen, Jamie Proctor and Ricky Ravenhill, there are some signings which prove disastrous.
Whether it be goal-shy strikers, lumbering midfielders, or regrettable second spells, we’ve come up with a list of five times City made memorable mistakes in the January transfer window.
1. KURTIS GUTHRIE (2020)
Two strikers joined City on deadline day 12 months ago. One was Novak, who has gone on to be a saviour at times, particularly this season.
But the other was not Kieran Agard, as many expected, but Guthrie from struggling Stevenage.
While nothing special, his record was perfectly respectable there, with 16 goals in 58 league appearances.
But those goals dried up big time during his time at Valley Parade.
He failed to score once in 13 appearances for the Bantams, and was moved on a few weeks ago, joining Port Vale after his City contract was cancelled by mutual consent.
To nobody’s great surprise, the 27-year-old has yet to find the net in four games for his new club.
2. JERMAINE ANDERSON (2019)
Anderson was called up to an England Under-18s training camp at St George’s Park back in 2013, yet looked anything but international quality during his disappointing spell at City.
In the midfielder’s defence, two separate cruciate ligament injuries have undoubtedly hampered his career, and he looked a different player to the one who had sparkled at Peterborough as a teenager.
Joining from Posh, he signed a deal for the rest of the 2018/19 season in the January of that year, netting once in 13 league games as City slid to a miserable relegation from League One.
He stayed with the club last season, but quickly found himself surplus to requirements, making just a handful of appearances in a competitive midfield, before being released in the summer.
He joined Aldershot on a short-term deal in October, and has appeared more at home in the National League, becoming a regular starter and netting three goals in his last five league games.
3. KAI BRUENKER (2018)
The young German became a bit of a cult hero at City, but sadly it was for all the wrong reasons.
No-one could question the striker’s efforts, but he struggled throughout his time at Valley Parade, proving to be a woefully inadequate support act for Wyke.
He certainly wasn’t good enough to replace Wyke when the Teessider left to join Sunderland in August 2018, and remarkably never scored in his 26 league appearances for the Bantams.
He did have his moment of glory that October though, netting his one and only goal for City in a thumping 4-1 defeat at the hands of Oldham in the Checkatrade Trophy.
The German’s joy was plain for all to see, and nobody who was at Valley Parade for the game (and there were not many!) will ever forget the night that Bruenker scored.
Bruenker returned to his homeland in January 2019 to play for the snappily-named SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the third tier.
4. AARON MCLEAN (2014)
McLean burst on to the Football League scene with his performances for Peterborough, netting an impressive 67 goals in 148 league games for them between 2007 and 2011.
But a miserable spell at Hull perhaps should have set alarm bells ringing for City, as he scored just nine league goals for the club in three years.
The Tigers were a Premier League side by 2013/14 though, so McLean and Bantams fans must have felt he’d have a chance of turning things around down in League One.
He joined City for an undisclosed fee in January 2014, and earned good money, but spectacularly failed to fire.
After a slow start to his time at the club, two goals in the final two games of the 2013/14 campaign, included a late winner at Tranmere, provided hope heading into his first full season.
But he only netted three more times, before being shipped off to Peterborough on loan in November 2014.
He remained there for the rest of the season, and was promptly released by City in July 2015, joining League Two new boys Barnet.
5. ANDY GRAY (2013)
Gray’s first spell at City was relatively impressive. He joined in August 2002, converting to a striker from a winger, and hit 20 goals in 77 league appearances.
He even earned two Scotland caps during his time with the Bantams, playing against Lithuania and New Zealand in the spring of 2003.
He left City to join Sheffield United in early 2004, and his return to Valley Parade nine years later proved to be a mistake.
Despite the team’s success in 2012/13, with a League Two play-off final win and a run to the League Cup final, Gray’s contribution was minimal to say the least, as he failed to net in eight appearances.
He finally scored in December 2013, in a 2-1 defeat against Peterborough, but that was his only goal in 16 competitive matches during his second spell with the Bantams.
Gray’s contract was cancelled by mutual consent in May 2014, and he never played a game of professional football again.
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