Preston North End have appointed Graham Alexander as their new Men’s First-Team manager.
Alexander’s appointment comes just two weeks after Paul Heckingbottom was relieved of his duties following a poor start to the season, with the Lilywhites now sat second bottom in the Championship.
Preston subsequently approached League One leaders, Bradford City for permission to speak to Alexander and after discussions, the former two-time Preston player – who scored 66 goals in 421 appearances across two spells – has signed an unspecified contract at Deepdale.
Alexander also brings promotion-winning experience with the Lilywhites after he helped them gain promotion to the First Division (now Championship) in 2000, and is excited at the opportunity to take charge of the club.
“It’s a special feeling to be named manager of this football club. After speaking to Preston, I knew this was the place I wanted to be. I had an amazing time here as a player and it’s great to be back.
“At previous clubs, we’ve always improved league positions and created a team that people can appreciate and attach themselves to.
“I want to win, I want to be successful, and a big part of that is having ambitions.”
Preston Chairman, Ian Penrose is “delighted” to appoint Alexander as Heckingbottom’s successor and believes that his knowledge of the game will be beneficial.
“His lengthy playing career brings invaluable knowledge of the Championship, Premier League and International football. Combined with his in-depth managerial experience, most recently leading Bradford City to promotion and now top of League One he was the standout candidate.
“In addition, what shone through in our meeting was Graham’s absolute desire and determination to return Preston to the top division of English football, driven by his deep affection for the Club.
“This is undoubtedly the start of an exciting new era for PNE, one built on positivity, desire, togetherness, and belief.”
Alexander previously took caretaker charge during the 2011-12 season at Preston and since he retired at the end of that campaign, he has managed, Fleetwood, Scunthorpe, Salford, Motherwell, MK Dons and Bradford.
During his managerial career, he achieved promotion play-off success with Fleetwood and Salford in League One and National League in 2014 & 19 respectively, and more recently he oversaw Bradford’s automatic promotion to the third tier at the end of the 2024-25 season.
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