BRADFORD City acted quickly and decisively in this summer transfer window, bringing in four new players by the end of May, but if Graham Alexander’s comments to Aden Baldwin are anything to go by, do not expect too many more additional faces through the door in the next few months.
All of the quartet brought in by City have been promoted in the past two seasons, Antoni Sarcevic and Neill Byrne with Stockport, Callum Johnson with Mansfield and Baldwin with Notts County.
It seems Alexander is streamlining his focus to ensure City sign quality over quantity, as well as players with a proven winning mentality, which could be vital for a side desperate to get out of League Two at the sixth time of asking.
Asked if his new gaffer had briefed him on the club’s approach to transfers this summer, Baldwin said: “The gaffer mentioned this to me in one of our first conversations.
“He said he wanted to bring winners into his squad and that winning mentality, which is exactly what he’s done.
“He’s brought two players in who won a title last season, another whose team went up, and then I’ve got a promotion under my belt from the year before.
“He also said to me that Bradford don’t need many new players for a promotion-winning team, they only need a few.
“That seems to be what he’s going for, and that might bode well with how successful we are this season.”
Baldwin added: “I think changing too many players might upset the squad environment.
“If we end up being successful this season, having added just a few lads with different qualities and attributes to what’s already at the club, as well as bringing in that winning mentality, that will be a big reason behind it.”
County could not stop winning in the 2022/23 National League season, but had to squeeze into League Two via the play-offs after being pipped to the title by an even more rampant Wrexham side.
Baldwin reflected: “It was definitely a freak season.
“Out of nowhere, we built a team packed with quality, a manager (Luke Williams) right behind us who was extremely well-driven and organised.
“He knew what his philosophy was, we built a team around that and we all embedded ourselves into that approach.
“But out of nowhere, that money got implemented into Wrexham from their Hollywood owners and they were suddenly our massive rivals then.
“It created a story for the National League, and we were definitely happy to be part of that.
“At the end of the day, we went up alongside Wrexham, so I’m not going to sit here and be bitter about us not winning the league, because I’ve got a promotion under my belt and deservedly so.”
Williams was key to Notts’ success that season and their good start in League Two last term, but he left to join Swansea in January and new boss Stuart Maynard struggled to recapture the magic.
County tumbled down the table to finish 14th, with Baldwin saying: “Without trying to be too disrespectful to the manager in charge now, I definitely think it upset a few players when Luke left.
“The rhythm and momentum went, and when a lot of players are affected by a great manager leaving like that, the performance is always not going to be quite there.
“Luke did extremely well for us, we stuck to a certain philosophy under him, and it was really effective.
“It’s not easy for another manager to come in and it was difficult for Stuart to get his philosophy across to the lads in such a short space of time.
“I think with the balance of that, and the transitional period of Luke going, it was difficult to get to grips with what Stuart wanted.”
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