Bradford City

What will Newcastle United’s Alex Gilliead bring to Bradford City?

This morning, Bradford City’s official Twitter account confirmed that Alex Gilliead was to return to Valley Parade on a six-month loan deal. The winger actually signed for Bradford City on the 12th of January on loan until the end of last season.

The winger actually signed for Bradford City on the 12th of January on loan until the end of last season. During his time with the Bantams last season, the winger managed to make 10 appearances for the Bantams. This could have been more but he suffered a high-grade tear against Coventry City which managed to keep the winger out for virtually the rest of the season.

The talented midfielder managed to become heavily involved in Bradford City’s side and started several games for the Bantams until his injury cut his loan spell short.

Gilliead’s

pace and power have the capacity to frighten defenders and with his ability to cut through defences, he could be a key signing for Stuart McCall’s side.

Given the fact that Mark Marshall has swapped Valley Parade to move to The Valley and sign for Charlton Athletic, the Bantams have needed to replace the winger with a similar mould of player. Marshall’s effectiveness in the division largely depended upon his pace and trickery and Gilliead is incredibly similar in this sense offering skill, pace and agility to get in and behind defences.

The additional benefit of signing Gilliead is that the winger stands at six-foot, making him an aerial presence in a Bradford City team that desperately lacked height last season.

With the winger only moving to the club on a six-month loan deal, Newcastle United will want Gilliead to be starting as many games as possible and to continue developing under the wing of Stuart McCall and Bradford City.

As the winger opted to return to Valley Parade after his loan spell last season given how he was treated by the backroom staff, he clearly wanted to be involved in City’s fortunes for the upcoming season.

Given Bradford City’s recruitment this summer, Gilliead will have to be involved in what will be a new-look Bantams side consisting generally of talented and promising youth. This could be useful for the 21-year-old as it may be very easy for him to bond well with his new teammates and furthermore, the experience and friendly faces from last year of Romain Vincelot, Matthew Kilgallon and Tony McMahon could really help Gilliead during his time at the club this season.

The winger is capable of scoring goals and claiming a plethora of assists which was evident during his time on loan at Carlisle United and Luton Town. If Gilliead can cement a place in the starting eleven at Valley Parade, he could be a fantastic replacement for Mark Marshall and he can offer the Bantams something special going forward.

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