Sparks: Bradford City transfer window was collective effort

Nine players arrived at Valley Parade and six moved on in a month that the chief executive believes has left them in a much stronger position.

And he insists City’s fanbase have played their part – even though they remain locked out through the pandemic.

Sparks said: “It became obvious that we would need to do quite a lot of work in the window.

“But that wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t had the backing of supporters in regards to season-tickets, and the fact only five per cent asked for a refund, in addition to constantly-growing iFollow sales.

“It’s been a collective effort and we’ve done it together – supporters and the club have worked hand-in-hand as one.

“We’ve been able to achieve what we set out to do and strengthen the squad.

“We all saw the pressures it was put under when injuries hampered the first-choice 11.

"We didn’t have the back-up dancers, the depth or the quality – I believe we’ve addressed that.”

Sparks stressed that the new recruits have been brought in with an eye to the future as much as ensuring City finish the current season in a far more solid state.

“We’ve had to be very clinical,” he added. “I’m not blessed with huge cash reserves, so it’s been a case that, when we’re adding to the squad, we’re not blowing the budget, or indeed breaking the salary cap.

Ryan Sparks says City have been "very clinical" during the transfer window

"A great deal of due diligence, in this respect, has gone into every single signing. 

“The players coming in also allow us to plan for the future. They aren’t just for now, we’re beginning to build.

“We’ve only added three loan signings – and potentially all of those players could have futures here.

“Every player that has joined us has done so with the future in mind.

“It’s one thing planning what you want to do in January, it’s another being able to stack it up financially and then take the plans forward.

“We’ve not put the club at risk by doing this – in fact we’ve probably brought one or two assets into the building.”

Signings being the “right character” has been a major factor in the window shopping.

It was telling that City knocked back an offer to try to take Marcus Maddison on loan from Charlton – a skilful midfielder described as “a maverick” by his new Bolton boss Ian Evatt.

Striker Danny Rowe joined City from Oldham on an 18-month deal

Sparks said: “The key ingredient is culture.

“It can’t be built in January by throwing a few quid about to sign some players. But you have to start somewhere.

“Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars believe in what we are trying to create and the players who have come in have bought into our vision.

“Something that has been so noticeable is that the players joining us haven’t come to Valley Parade and talked about the Premier League and signing because we are Bradford City and we have a big stadium.

“They’ve talked about winning, the culture, the management staff, the way the club is going and the energy that they are seeing outside of the four walls.

“The buzz words are a given – and I, for one, have heard too many of them over the years. What about why these players have joined the club?

"What excites me is hearing the real reasons players want to represent Bradford City and what they want to achieve in claret and amber. 

“These aren’t players we signed off the back of a fag packet. We’ve monitored them over months.

“Seven of the nine we’ve signed were on our initial target list in December.”

Charles Vernam and Ollie Crankshaw were the final captures on deadline day – both on permanent deals for undisclosed fees from clubs in League One.

There are no guarantees – not every player you sign is going to turn into the next Gary Jones, Stephen Darby or Nahki Wells.

Crankshaw was the last of the nine signings when he joined from Wigan just a couple of hours before the cut-off point. His enthusiasm to get the move done convinced Sparks that City are on the right track.

“If the guy could have done a backflip in front of me, I think he would,” he said. “There wasn’t enough room in the office but he was absolutely buzzing.

“It was 8.30-9pm and minus one outside and Ollie’s on the pitch having his photo taken with the biggest grin on his face.

“He wasn’t talking about the Premier League days, the glory and where we were five years ago.

“Ollie was more bothered about where we can get to now, and that’s very important.

"This has been the case for every single player who has walked through the door. Character is absolutely crucial. 

“People talk about previous regimes, and the club achieved incredible success in the 2010s.

“It’s not necessarily about recreating that. It’s about taking the key ingredients, the culture, financial sustainability and smart recruitment - and throwing them into a new pot.

“Think about how you can get close to achieving what they did.

“The level of detail we’ve gone into on some of these players is beyond anything I’ve seen in professional sport.

“There are no guarantees – not every player you sign is going to turn into the next Gary Jones, Stephen Darby or Nahki Wells.

“The big thing has been analysing how this club found its way to unprecedented levels of success in recent times, and how we went from that to relegation and abject failure - and why.

“It’s very obvious it comes down to the values I’ve mentioned. They all work in unison, and we are trying to develop them, on and off the field.

Lee Turnbull has been in his recruitment role at City since December

“There is a road map in place. There will be diversions, dips, setbacks and everything else, but as long as we get to the end of the road, that’s all that matters.” 

Sparks reinforced interim boss Mark Trueman’s comments in saluting the work done by recruitment director Lee Turnbull in his first two months at Valley Parade.

“The club feels very much united, on and off the field, and it will be great to see our supporters become even more a part of this when restrictions allow.

"There are no egos and nobody wants to be famous, we just want to achieve.

“Lee Turnbull has been one of our best signings. He has had to adapt to a different way of working, and style of recruitment, but has still delivered great results.

"He’s done his job really well and deserves a great deal of credit.

“We have some momentum at the moment, and it is my belief that, when you have momentum, you simply do more, work harder and inject further adrenaline.

"Let’s now look forward to what the second half of this season could bring to our football club.”