Roker Roundtable: Would missing out on Nathan Broadhead be a major loss for Sunderland?

Kingsley Reavley says…

The situation is both confusing and concerning in equal measure.

There’s little doubt that he would be an asset at Championship level, because his movement, pace and finishing are exemplary. He was a popular member of the squad last season, and contributed significantly to our promotion. In addition, if he did return, he would have the benefit of familiarity, which would help him settle quicker.

There seems to have been a push from Alex Neil to keep the core of that team together, hence the signings of Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts, and the new contracts signed by Bailey Wright and Lynden Gooch, so it seems natural to bring Broadhead back. At twenty four, do Everton really value him, and what is his game time going to look like if he stays there?

Surely, if he was rated that highly, he would have already had a run in the Everton first team, like Anthony Gordon. The fact that they have no available strikers and Broadhead hasn’t played during pre-season tells its own story.

We have a long season ahead. The fact that Alex Pritchard has a tendency to only last around seventy minutes means that if we need a late equaliser or winning goal, having Broadhead on the bench could be huge.

My only concern is his injury record. He broke down multiple times last season, which gave fans cause for concern. We’ve had our fair share of crocks (Wickham, Willis, etc) in recent years and we don’t want another one on our hands.

Overall, he’s worth the risk and I’d be disappointed if he didn’t come back through the door.

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Sam Quigley says…

There is no doubt that Broadhead has the capability to be a threat at this level, but his injury record isn’t a pretty read, and in a season where we’ll need our best players on top form, the signing has to be considered high-risk.

The flip side to that is Kristjaan Speakman uses analytics to decide who comes through the door, so if he’s taken the data from last season, along with the physio’s opinion, and it’s coming out as positive move, I’m all for it.

The longer it drags out, the longer Broadhead has not been playing football, and with rumours of a deal agreed in principle, time is of the essence until we are forced to look elsewhere.

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Scott Young says…

Considering how long we have pursued him, it feels as though it would be a big loss.

However, if the club replaces him with someone of equal quality, then it’s okay. We were supposedly in for Troy Parrott, although that deal fell through, and I’m confident the club have other targets in mind.

Overall, the public nature and ongoing speculation surrounding this situation doesn’t sit well with our current approach to transfer business, which is more subdued and calculated. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

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