Sunderland will have major regret watching Ipswich Town man's success: View | OneFootball

Having missed out on signing sign Nathan Broadhead in 2022, Sunderland will not have enjoyed watching the striker's ascent at Ipswich Town.

Highlights

After beating Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 in the 2021/22 League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium, Sunderland were heading back to the Championship, but one of their most influential players, Nathan Broadhead, was not joining them.

Broadhead, who was 24 at the time, joined the Black Cats in the summer of 2021 on a season-long loan from Premier League outfit, Everton. The Welshman became a fan favourite in the latter stages of the season because of his vital goal contributions. The forward scored a series of crucial winning goals for the North East club, helping them to achieve a League One play-off finish - this was despite a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

After a summer of twists and turns, Broadhead signed on loan for Championship rivals, Wigan Athletic, instead of moving back to the Stadium of Light. Initially, it seemed to have been the correct decision given the success of Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms' partnership in front of goal, but the Welshman was playing the long game.

Broadhead shone at the Stadium of Light

Broadhead took a while to get going at the Stadium of Light. At the start of the 2021/22 Championship season, the Everton loanee managed 153 minutes in Sunderland's first 13 matches. Fitting the left-winger in was proving difficult for manager, Lee Johnson. By comparison, Sunderland's first choice left-winger, Aiden McGeady, had already notched two goals and four assists in as many games - he was simply undroppable.

It was not until mid-season when Broadhead began to make his mark. The winger scored his first goal for the club - the winning goal against Cambridge United. Little did he know, this was a sign of things to come. Johnson simply had to get the Welshman into the team and found a place for him alongside prolific striker, Ross Stewart, playing as a centre-forward. Then came a flurry of goals. Broadhead scored four goals in as many games, including another winner against Plymouth Argyle and an equaliser against his future club, Ipswich Town.

The only thing that could stop Broadhead was an injury - a bad one. In December, it was reported that the forward suffered a serious hamstring injury, which he sustained during their EFL Cup quarter-final game against Arsenal. The Welshman had already made the headlines for his deft finish past Arsenal goalkeeper, Bernd Leno. In what was initially feared to be a season-ending injury, Broadhead remained out of action for two months, missing 13 matches in the process. On his return, he managed 70 minutes against Charlton Athletic before missing the following three games as a precaution.

With seven games to go, Sunderland were still fighting for promotion, but it was to go down to the wire. Broadhead was instrumental on his return, scoring five goals in seven games, including three winning goals against Gillingham, Shrewsbury Town and Morecambe respectively. Without his goals, Sunderland may not have made the play-offs, as the club finished the season in fifth, just four points ahead of seventh place Plymouth.

The Black Cats achieved promotion by defeating Wycombe at Wembley, but due to an injury, Broadhead only managed three minutes in all three play-off games. That summer, Sunderland missed out on signing Broadhead from Everton, with the forward joining Wigan instead. Initially, the move did not appear to be catastrophic for Sunderland, given Stewart and Simms' successful partnership in front of goal. Furthermore, Broadhead only managed five goals during his spell at the Latics, before joining League One outfit, Ipswich, on a permanent deal in January.

Broadhead's move to Ipswich, a team in the division below Sunderland, appeared to ease concerns that the Black Cats had made the wrong call on the forward, but they were oh so wrong. The fee was undisclosed, but given he had a market value of £500,000, Ipswich would have picked him up relatively cheaply.

Broadhead proved again that League One was his playground. This time, playing in his favoured left-wing position, the Welshman scored eight goals in 19 appearances, but also significantly produced six assists - he did not record any assists for Sunderland. After his arrival at Portman Road, Ipswich went on an imperious run - the Tractor Boys recorded a staggering 14 wins, four draws and one loss in the games Broadhead was involved in. Ipswich achieved a second place finish, achieving automatic promotion to the Championship - just two points ahead of Sheffield Wednesday. Broadhead had done it again.

Football has a weird and wonderful way of creating story lines that would seem impossible to write. Ipswich's first game of the season took place at the Stadium of Light - Broadhead's old stomping ground. With a point to prove, the left-winger produced a man of the match performance with a goal and assist in Ipswich's 2-1 win. The performance and result laid the path for the Tractor Boys' season, but set one of regret for Sunderland.

Broadhead went on to contribute 13 goals and four assists in what was a historic season for Ipswich. The Tractor Boys achieved promotion back to the Premier League, ending a 20-year wait. While Ipswich achieved back to back promotions, Sunderland drifted to a 16th placed finish - well short of their promotion ambitions. Although left-winger, Jack Clarke, produced 15 goals, Sunderland's strikers managed a mere three goals between them, demonstrating how Broadhead had been missed.

When Sunderland missed out on Broadhead, the blow was softened given the success of the strike partnership between Stewart and Simms. Sunderland were on the up and Broadhead was uninspiring at a struggling Wigan.

Two years later, and the Welshman is preparing to make his mark on the Premier League with Ipswich, while Sunderland are finding it difficult to sign a goal-scoring striker. Broadhead had to take a step back to take two steps forward, but will be feeling justified in his career path.