Graham Alexander has confirmed that left wingback Lewis Richards, the Bantams’ 2023 permanent signing, will miss the rest of the season as he undergoes shoulder surgery in the coming weeks .
The 23 year old, who went off at Bromley with a hamstring issue – which he is set to have surgery for, has made 29 appearances for the Bantams this season contributing 2 goals whilst also assisting on 3 occasions with this season acting as his best season with the League Two outfit.
The former youth Republic of Ireland international, who is also set to be out of contract in the summer, has been a pivotal part of the Bantams’ resurgence winning 60.7% of his tackles whilst also completing 17 successful dribbles – some of which have contributed to his 33 touches in opposition boxes.
How will Bradford replace the left back?
Crystal Palace loanee Tayo Adaramola has proven to be a pleasant surprise for the League Two side since joining on Deadline Day in February with the 21 year old assisting for George Lapslie’s first in the Bantams’ 3-0 victory over Cheltenham on Tuesday night, clearly showing the early signs of being an ideal replacement for Richards.
Tyreik Wright is also an option having played left wing back in Alexander’s system during the current season winning 65.4% of his tackles whilst having 27 touches in opposition boxes and managing to assist on 3 occasions so far. Finally, Brandon Khela can also act as a replacement for Richards with the 20 year old having played left wingback both at his time at Birmingham and whilst with the Bantams on loan.
All of these players can be seen to be ideal replacements for the former Brentford youth academy man in the remainder of the season.
Writer’s View
Lewis Richards has proven a key part of the Bradford squad acting as a starter for the most part of the season. His injury will be a big blow for the side but I do think that the Bantams have enough cover through Adaramola, Wright and Khela to cover this position safely as they fight for promotion in the run-in.
