TIMOTHEE Dieng has revealed the summer uncertainty at City put him off signing a new deal.

Dieng faces his old club this afternoon for the first time since rejecting them in favour of joining Southend.

The Bantams were keen to keep the midfielder, who made 78 appearances in two seasons at Valley Parade. But he felt Southend’s offer was the better option.

Dieng said: “It was a weird situation at Bradford at the time.

“There was no manager and I didn’t know if I would be in the plans of the new one or not. Some good players were leaving as well.

“Then Chris Powell called me and convinced me to sign for Southend. He said he wanted me in his team.

“My agent was talking to Bradford but we took our time to try to make the right decision for my career.”

Dieng is relishing an early reunion with his former club at Roots Hall – even if he will not recognise a lot of them.

“The team have changed a lot,” he added. “Most of the players I was with are not playing there anymore.

“I’ve seen Killa (Matt Kilgallon) wasn’t in the squad and there is Omari (Patrick), Adam Chicksen and Percy (Nathaniel Knight-Percival). Fourteen new players is a big change.

“But the recruitment has got some quality players in, so I think Bradford are still going to be a good team. It’s a game I’m looking forward to.”

Dieng believes he has become a better player from his time with City and performing in front of some of the biggest home audiences in the division.

He said: “I think I improved a lot playing under Stuart McCall and Simon Grayson. And having a big crowd every week at home meant you had to manage the pressure and expectation from the fans.

“But I really enjoyed it at Bradford, especially the first year when we went to the play-off final even if it didn’t finish well for us.”