Parkinson: Wells and Bantams can rise together

Bradford City manager Phil Parkinson remains hopeful Nahki Wells and the Bantams can climb the football ladder together.

With the January transfer window around the corner, the club are braced for a possible big-money offer for their in-form front man. 

The Bermudian has continued his stunning goalscoring form from last season, netting 15 goals in 18 appearances this campaign

City take on Yorkshire rivals Rotherham on Boxing Day at Valley Parade on the back of a disappointing defeat to Peterborough, in which Wells failed to find the
net.

Posh are to date the only club to have made a bid — at least publicly —but Parkinson maintains if Wells was to move it would be to a higher-level club.

But the manager wants the club and £2m-rated Wells to rise together.

He told the Yorkshire Post: “No disrespect to Peterborough – and they certainly had the money from selling Dwight Gayle to Crystal Palace – but Nahki is very ambitious and wants to play at the highest level. 

“He didn’t want to move to another club at the same level. He would not have been interested. 

“The challenge for Nahki is to keep improving, particularly in terms of his all-round game. The higher he goes, the more he will have to improve. That is a fact of life in football.

“Fair play to him, every challenge put in front of him over the past couple of years has been cleared. But we want to go higher and I know he does as well.

“He is someone who loves his football and I know he can keep improving. 

“That is the challenge he faces every day in training.”

Wells is set to have 36-year-old veteran Andy Gray as his strike partner from the start against Rotherham. With James Hanson injured, Gray looks set to be handed his chance after coming on as a sub in the previous game.

Parkinson told the Telegraph & Argus: “I thought he [Gray] was superb. 

“He held the ball up well and won headers and credit to him. It’s been difficult because he came back pre-season really fit and determined to make a go of it here and then broke his arm against Guiseley.

“Hanson and Wells have done well for us up front and Andy’s not had a chance.”