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It looks set to be a busy summer at Bradford City as the Bantams prepare for life back in League One, but Richie Smallwood is not part of their plans.
In an eventful League Two campaign in 2024/25, Bradford were among the teams to win automatic promotion thanks to a third-placed finish.
That sparked massive celebrations for Bradford, who are now climbing back up the EFL ladder slowly but surely.
However, club captain Richie Smallwood will be leaving this summer on a free transfer, as we exclusively revealed last week. Multiple clubs are keen on the veteran, but it turns out he never actually wanted to leave Bradford.
What Richie Smallwood has said about Bradford City exit
Speaking to the Telegraph and Argus about his imminent departure, Smallwood revealed he is shocked by the way things have played out recently and did not expect to be leaving the club at all.
“I don’t have the actual answer as to why I’m not staying. I don’t know what’s gone on, or why the manager has changed his mind, or how he’s come to this decision, I have absolutely no idea.
“We felt we’d done enough to earn another deal, but while there were some initial talks, there was never, ever another contract offered to me, which is what we can’t understand. There was no negotiation because there was nothing to negotiate, no figures or anything.
“Those initial talks surrounded my current contract and the details in that, but we felt I deserved another two-year deal. We weren’t dead set on that, we were willing to negotiate a one-year contract, which was apparently all the manager was willing to offer.”
That offer of a one-year deal, sadly, never came either. Smallwood went on to say things took a turn last week, with his manager deciding to tell him he would not be retained at all.
He added: “All of a sudden, I got a message from Graham last Thursday asking me to meet him later that day. That was it, that was when I was told the news, but leading up to that day, we were waiting for a contract to be offered.
“There were talks about going to see the owners about the budget, then about the length of the contract, with the club only willing to negotiate a one-year deal, but we’d agreed to that.
“I was waiting to hear back from the manager, as apparently it was in his hands. But the next time I heard from him was that message and meeting last Thursday, where I was told he’d had a change of heart.”
Bradford City preparing for big return to League One
As well as moving Smallwood on, Graham Alexander has bagged his first summer signing, with Salford City defender Curtis Tilt jumping on board the Bantams train.
Given the size of the club and how well they performed last season, it would not be a surprise to see Bradford mounting a serious challenge for the play-offs in League One in 2025/26.
Graham Alexander is clearly not messing about when it comes to assembling his squad for the coming season, that’s for sure.