Sunderland are renewing their efforts to sign Nathan Broadhead from Everton, according to The Northern Echo’s Scott Wilson.
The lowdown
The Black Cats have made four additions to their squad so far this summer ahead of their return to the Championship.
They have signed centre-backs Daniel Ballard and Ali Ajese from Arsenal and West Ham respectively, along with winger Jack Clarke from Spurs and forward Leon Dajaku from Union Berlin, who were both on loan at the Stadium of Light last term.
Broadhead also spent the 2021/22 season on loan with the Black Cats, making 27 appearances in all competitions.
Sunderland officials made clear their desire to re-sign the 24-year-old in talks with their Everton counterparts earlier in the summer, but Frank Lampard wanted to run the rule over the striker in pre-season. Also, the £2,900-per-week man himself was keen to try and force a way into the Toffees’ senior set-up for 2022/23.
The latest
Wilson tweeted that Sunderland are “making new push for Nathan Broadhead after striker’s hopes of breaking through at Everton recede. Broadhead has always been SAFC’s number one striker target – and he wasn’t one of 22 players used by Lampard at the weekend…”.
In his corresponding article for The Northern Echo, the reporter noted that the 24-year-old was missing from the Everton squad which lost 2-0 to Arsenal in a friendly in Baltimore at the weekend, despite seemingly being fit to play. It would seem, then, that his prospects of playing regularly next season are ‘slight’.
Sunderland have duly seen this as an opportunity to land their primary centre-forward target.
The verdict
It’s no surprise that Sunderland are so eager to have Broadhead back.
Even though his 2021/22 season was heavily disrupted by hamstring problems which effectively ruled him out from late December until April, he managed to score 13 goals in all competitions. That was enough to finish as the team’s second-highest scorer behind 26-goal Ross Stewart, who incidentally has been linked with a move to Rangers.
Alex Neil believes that Broadhead has formed a ‘really good partnership’ with Stewart and dubbed him a ‘constant threat’ who is able to score different types of goals.
Right now, this looks like a move which should suit all parties.