Royals boss Richardson dismisses Bradford links

Reading manager Leam Richardson has downplayed talk of him filling the vacancy at fellow League One side Bradford City. The Royals boss had been made an early favourite among the bookmakers to replace Graham Alexander but denied that any contact had been made with the Bantams. Richardson has been at the Berkshire side for nearly a year, joining part-way through last campaign before leading Reading to a 12th-placed finish. He previously managed Wigan and Rotherham before replacing Noel Hunt at Reading in late October 2025. Bradford visit the SCL Stadium on Saturday and the Royals boss made it clear where his immediate future lies. "I'm certain that I'll be in the Reading dugout this weekend," he told BBC Radio Berkshire. "It's always really pleasant when you see interest from other teams around the country. "It means the players are doing a fantastic job, I'm sure there's lots of other managers in the running for the job. "I think the talk comes from the common sense of them being a northern team and that I've worked with a lot of the players that are there." When asked if he had been approached by the club, Richardson replied "nope". He previously worked with Bradford's sporting director David Sharpe who was chairman at Wigan during Richardson's stint at the Latics. The manager has also coached the likes of Nick Powell, Callum Connolly and Stephen Humphrys who now play for the Bantams. Reading are currently ninth in League One after seven games, one point off the play-off positions. All the latest Reading news