Bradford City have finished in the top six of the League One table this campaign. The Bantams have ended the 'regular' season in fifth place with 79 points from 46 matches and have booked a place in the playoffs.
Stuart McCall has done a wonderful job at Bradford, and the former Rangers manager will be hoping to get his team over the line in the coming weeks. City will face Fleetwood Town over two legs in the playoff semi-finals.
The first leg of the tie will be held at the Northern Commercials Stadium on May 4, with Fleetwood staging the second leg at the Highbury Stadium just three days later. Despite Uwe Rosler’s side finishing three points above Bradford in the league standings, the West Yorkshire outfit will be confident of progress to the final from the tie.
Of the four teams in the playoffs, Bradford are the favourites to get promoted to the Championship with odds of 15/8 according to Betway. The Bantams have a strong squad, but if they feature in the second tier of English football next season, then they will need to make signings in the summer transfer window. The main priority for Bradford next season would be to finish above the bottom three in the Championship. Let's look at some of the signings that Bradford should be looking to make in the summer:
Kemar Roofe (Leeds United)
Kemar Roofe is a very talented and promising attacking player, but his debut season at Leeds United has not been great. The 24-year-old, who can operate as a winger or as a striker, has scored only three goals and provided just seven assists in 27 Championship appearances for Leeds so far this season, according to WhoScored. Signed from Oxford United in the summer of 2016 for £3 million, Roofe has yet to fully prove himself in the Championship.
Leeds are unlikely to sell the attacker in the summer transfer window, but it would not be a bad idea for Bradford to make a loan move for him, even if that be for the first six months. Playing for the Bantams regularly in the first half of next season would make Roofe a better player and would help him get used to the rigours of the Championship. Bradford would also get a player with potential hungry to showcase his quality. It would be a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Emerson Hyndman (Bournemouth/Rangers)
Emerson Hyndman joined Scottish Premiership club Rangers on loan from Premier League side Bournemouth in the January transfer window. The 21-year-old central midfielder is a very talented player, and he has been a success Rangers already. The USA international was recently adjudged as Rangers’ Young Player of the Year.
The Championship is a tougher and more competitive domestic league than the Scottish Premiership, and Bournemouth could be open to the idea of allowing Hyndman to play on loan for a team in the second tier of English football. Bradford would be wise to make a loan move for the American youngster, who has scored four goals in 20 competitive appearances for the Gers this season. Central midfield is a key department for any team aiming to survive in the Championship, and Hyndman’s experience of playing for the USA and for a massive club such as Rangers would be crucial for the Bantams next season.
Kris Commons (Celtic)
Kris Commons is 33 years of age and is past his prime, and it is very likely that he will leave Celtic at the end of the season. The Scottish attacking midfielder may not be in Brendan Rodgers’s plans at the Scottish Premiership giants for the 2017-18 campaign, but he would certainly be able to do a decent job for Bradford in the Championship.
Commons has experience of playing for some of the biggest clubs in England, such as Nottingham Forest and Derby County, and his creativity would help Bradford score important goals. The fact that Commons has found the net 91 times in 177 starts for Celtic in all competitions underlines his ability to contribute to goals. The Scotsman may not be able to play in each and every game, but he still has it in himself to feature in at least one competitive match in a week.
