Everton’s Nathan Broadhead has addressed his future after his successful loan-spell at Sunderland.
What’s the word?
As per Evertonfc.com, Broadhead, who spent last season on loan at Sunderland, says he “learned invaluable lessons” from the experience.
After helping Sunderland achieve promotion back to the Championship, the 24-year-old reflected on the feat, saying:
“It’s been a stop-start season for me. I got COVID in pre-season, came back and had two weeks training, then I went up to Sunderland.
“In the first game I got injured and I’ve had a couple of others [injury issues] this season, but I never give up. Every game I play, I’ll give 100 per cent.”
“Now I’m just looking forward to getting back to 100-per-cent fitness and having a full pre-season. We’ll see what happens next.
“I’ve been learning every day from experienced players and that’s part of it. Of course, I want to be in that environment and playing senior football.”
The next McGeady?
With ten goals in 20 League One appearances, Broadhead has finally managed to replicate the form that saw him bag 11 times in 18 appearances in Premier League 2 with Everton U23s and transition it into senior football. This season’s efforts have now boosted his career tally to 33-goals.
His potency in front of goal this season has seen him finish as the Black Cats’ second-highest goal scorer and, considering his ability to play either out wide or through the middle, he can be compared to Aiden McGeady – who hit 11 goals in his first season in League One.
It’s easy to forget that McGeady also played for Everton, making 43 appearances before moving to the Stadium of Light on a free transfer, where he has enjoyed a rollercoaster of emotions.
Broadhead, who has been dubbed “brilliant” by Patrick Boyland, has found himself with Sunderland as well, and having played a big part in their promotion to the Championship, Alex Neil should be snapping up the 24-year-old who’s contract with Everton ends next summer.
A free transfer, like McGeady, may well await in the summer of 2023 but until then, they must make an effort to bring him back on loan next term.
In other news: SAFC can save millions with one of the “hottest talents”, imagine him in the Champ
Liverpool are among the current favourites to sign exciting Birmingham City youngster Jobe Bellingham this summer, according to a fresh transfer rumour.
The Lowdown: Jobe shines for Birmingham
At just 16, Bellingham is already making waves at St Andrew’s, much like his brother Jude had done before he traded Birmingham for Borussia Dortmund.
The youngster has admittedly made just two appearances this season, totalling 21 minutes, but that is impressive in itself given his tender age.
Big things are predicted for Bellingham and it looks as though top clubs are already circling for his signature, including Liverpool.
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The Latest: Reds in Bellingham transfer hunt
According to The Mirror, the Reds are among the front-runners to snap up Bellingham during the summer transfer window, with Manchester City and Newcastle United also expressing an interest.
The teenager is ‘free to sign a contract’ away from Birmingham because of his age, with the Championship club offering him a scholarship, although it remains to be seen what his decision will be.
The Verdict: Sign both brothers?
Liverpool have also been linked with a move for Jobe’s older brother Jude and this update is hugely exciting, with the brothers both clearly prodigious.
The younger Bellingham has already broken into Birmingham’s first team before turning 17, while the elder has made 90 appearances for Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and won 12 England caps prior to his 19th birthday.
It would be heartwarming to see the Reds sign both eventually – allowing them to settle in easier – with Jude a potential target at the end of next season, at which point he may be looking for a fresh challenge away from Dortmund.
Jobe could equally be seen as one for the future – similar to Harvey Elliott, who Liverpool signed as a 16-year-old in 2019 – as Jurgen Klopp looks to continue building a dynasty at Anfield well into the future.
In other news, James Pearce has dropped a key Liverpool transfer update. Read more here.
Philip West has lavished Sunderland ‘warrior’ Bailey Wright with praise after they reached the League One play-off final.
The lowdown
Sunderland beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on aggregate to secure a shot at promotion to the Championship. Lee Gregory gave the Owls the lead at Hillsborough in the 74th minute, and the game appeared set for extra-time before Patrick Roberts scored a dramatic goal three minutes into stoppage time to send the visitors through.
Alex Neil’s side have set up a winner-takes-all meeting with Wycombe at Wembley on Saturday 21.
Wright played the full 90 minutes on the right side of a back three that also included Danny Batth and Dennis Cirkin.
The £720,000-rated ace has played every minute of league and play-off football dating back to mid-February.
The latest
West, a writer and podcaster at the Roker Report, applauded Wright for continuing to play even through injury.
He feels that the defender’s commitment epitomised the values of Sunderland as a football club.
“Bailey Wright, what a warrior,” he tweeted. “Bloodstained shirt, blood trickling down his face, but he was an absolute rock tonight. That’s what playing for this club is about. Heart of a lion.”
The verdict
The stats reflect Wright’s battling performance. He won six of the eight duels he contested on the night (75%), including five of his seven aerial battles.
It’s also worth acknowledging team-mate Batth, who sat at the heart of the back three. He too was an ‘absolute rock’ for the Black Cats, prevailing in ten out of 14 duels and also coming up with three blocks and seven clearances.
Both players deserve to be guaranteed starting places come the final.
In other news, Kieran Maguire reacts to big behind-the-scenes news.
Tottenham Hotspur remain interested in a deal to bring Lautaro Martinez to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a recent Gary Jacob report for The Times, with the journalist claiming that, after seeing a €90m (£75.5m) bid rejected for the Inter Milan centre-forward last summer, Antonio Conte’s side are once again interested in a move for the 24-year-old at the end of the current campaign.
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Jacob goes on to state that the Serie A side would be willing to part with the Argentina international this summer for a figure between £60m-£70m, however, it is claimed that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the striker ahead of a potential move of their own.
The final piece of Conte’s puzzle
Considering just how impressive Martinez has been for Inter in recent years, in addition to the fact that Conte already has a relationship with the 24-year-old, it is unsurprising to learn that Tottenham remain interested in a move for the centre-forward this summer.
Indeed, over his 32 Serie A appearances this season, the £101m-rated forward has been in electric form for the Nerazzurri, bagging 17 goals, registering three assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of three shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.
These returns have seen the £177k-per-week Argentine average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Simone Inzaghi’s 11th-best player in the Italian top flight.
Furthermore, over the 97 fixtures in which Martinez featured for Inter during Conte’s own two-year spell at the San Siro, the centre-forward scored a quite remarkable 40 goals, in addition to providing his teammates with a further 19 assists – averaging a direct involvement in a goal every 116 minutes of football played under the 52-year-old manager.
As such, with Tottenham in rather desperate need of a forward who can provide both competition and backup for Harry Kane this summer, the 24-year-old sensation would very much appear to be a signing the Spurs boss would love to get over the line ahead of Spurs’ 2022/23 campaign – as Martinez could well be one of the final pieces in Conte’s puzzle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
AND in other news: Conte can now axe “average” £43m dud as Spurs plot £16.75m bid for “young Gareth Bale”
Sunderland have finished fifth in League One this season, earning themselves a playoff spot in the semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening.
Alex Neil will be hoping that his team can give one final push for promotion to the Championship after a successful run in League One since he joined the club to replace Lee Johnson in February, although injury issues have started to plague the team as the season draws to a close.
Dennis Cirkin, Carl Winchester and Nathan Broadhead are all in doubt to be available for the first leg of the semi-final tie at the Stadium of Light on Friday, however, the Black Cats’ boss has had an injury boost in the squad that could make a huge difference in the upcoming games.
Aiden McGeady has not featured in the team since November following a knee ligament injury but has been back in training of late and was on the bench for the final League One fixture of the season against Morecambe.
Neil has since revealed a further update on the £13k-per-week player to the ChronicleLive:
“He’s made good progress, he’s been on the grass and he has trained with the lads. We’ll take a view [on his fitness].”
With that being said, the 36-year-old who was hailed “gifted” and labelled as having “special quality” by Jack Ross, has been a talisman in an attacking midfield and winger role for Sunderland during his time at the club could have his final hurrah by helping his team gain promotion, as his contract will be up this summer.
McGeady has scored 36 goals and contributed 34 assists in his 149 appearances, with a goal contribution every 156 minutes of game-time for the Mackems, with three of those goals and four assists coming from 14 league appearances this season prior to his injury problems, proving that he can still offer consistency and an attacking threat.
Although the former Republic of Ireland international may not start games with Neil likely to be cautious after his prolonged amount of time off the pitch, he will surely be a great option for the manager to unleash in important stages of the upcoming playoff games and could offer a fresh perspective in the team to inspire Sunderland to secure the final at Wembley.
AND in other news: Huge blow: Six-word SAFC injury update emerges that’ll leave supporters worried…
Manchester United are fighting to bring a talented Premier League star to Old Trafford and may face a straight shootout with Manchester City and Arsenal for his services.
Ruben Amorim looks ahead to Crystal Palace vs Man Utd
There has been plenty of noise at Old Trafford following Manchester United’s bitter defeat to Everton on Monday night, something supporters will hope can be rectified when their side take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this Sunday.
More than anything, a lack of penetration going forward led to a subdued atmosphere as proceedings rolled on, albeit Ruben Amorim has now urged his side to improve as they look to get back to winning ways against the Eagles.
He said in his pre-match press conference: “They are a different club (Crystal Palace) and they are doing things better than us so that is quite simple.
“We play in a different way and they are just doing things better than us. They are doing things really well and they play more in transition than us. We have to look at all of these things when we compare our teams but of course, in every position, we can do so much better.”
Shades of McTominay: Man Utd star is now their "most underrated player"
Manchester United now have a player who has certainly gone under the radar over the last couple of months.
ByEthan Lamb Nov 28, 2025
Looking ahead to January, Wolverhampton Wanderers star Andre could answer the Manchester United call for a midfielder, though it would be naive to think that is the only area of the field Amorim wants to bolster ahead of the run-in.
With that in mind, the Red Devils and INEOS have put themselves in a direct fight with the elite to sign an England international who is becoming an interesting commodity in the Premier League.
Man Utd eyeing move for Newcastle's Tino Livramento
According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are keen on Newcastle United star Tino Livramento, and they could rival both Arsenal and Manchester City to land the England right-back.
The outlet shed some light on the situation, which read: “City would love to sign Livramento in January. That currently looks unlikely, but it could be a major saga next summer, when we can also expect United and Arsenal to come into the conversation.”
Capable of playing in either full-back position, Livramento has made 90 appearances for Newcastle, scoring once and registering three assists in total.
Fresh back from his latest injury setback, he is valued at around the £80 million mark by the Magpies and could be tempted by the possibility of switching clubs, even if he isn’t exactly agitating for a move elsewhere.
Manchester United have begun to improve under Amorim and will hope they stand a fighting chance of completing a deal. Nevertheless, they may need to fend off some stiff competition to land their man, who is coincidentally six matches unbeaten against the Red Devils.
Glasgow Rangers are eyeing a “tremendous” young manager as Russell Martin’s successor at Ibrox, with the free agent coach now seen as an option alongside the heavily linked former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl.
Rohl emerges as early Ibrox candidate
The Gers are on the lookout for their next boss, following the sacking of Martin over the weekend, in a decision that felt like it had been coming for a while.
The 39-year-old simply didn’t perform to the level many Rangers fans expected when he was appointed during the summer, with Sunday’s 1-1 draw away to Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership leaving them 11 points adrift of leaders Hearts, and eighth in the table.
Unsurprisingly, plenty of names are already being thrown around as possible replacements for Martin, including the former Sheffield Wednesday manager, who is currently without a club. Rohl is reportedly admired by those high up at Rangers, but would be another gamble on a young, inexperienced boss.
In terms of a more experienced head, Sean Dyche has also been linked with the now vacant Ibrox dugout, with the ex-Everton boss proving himself in the Premier League for many years, and he’s not the only Englishman in the mix.
Rangers keen on Gerrard after McCoist show of support
According to a report from talkSPORT, Rangers are eyeing a potential reunion with Steven Gerrard alongside their admiration for Rohl, seeing the Liverpool legend as an alternative option to the German. The 45-year-old famously won the Scottish Premiership title with the Gers back in 2020/21, instantly making him a hero, although his exit to Aston Villa didn’t go down too well at the time.
Gerrard is represented by the Wasserman group, who manage top coaches like Mikel Arteta and Eddie Howe. And a move back to Rangers certainly feels like a good option, with the former Liverpool midfielder already knowing the club well, not to mention delivering success.
His former assistant at Al-Ettifaq, Dean Holden, even revealed he would “pay” to work under the 45 year-old because of how he sees the game: “Steven Gerrard sees the game differently, as his assistant I learned so much. He empowered me to be creative and come up with ideas, to challenge him. He’s a really generous guy and I am grateful for the opportunity – I felt like I got five years of experience from him in a year.
“In any other industry, you would pay for the experiences I had. If you were a doctor, you’d pay to go and observe the best brain surgeon in the world.”
Granted, his managerial career hasn’t necessarily progressed hugely since that spell in Saudi Arabia, but former Gers hero Ally McCoist lauded him after the aforementioned title win four years ago.
He's like Mourinho: 54-year-old manager wants to replace Martin at Rangers
Russell Martin’s job as Rangers manager is no more, so who could be his replacement?
ByMatt Dawson Oct 6, 2025
Rangers fans are sure to be divided over who they want to see come in, but whatever happens, those high up at the club cannot afford to rush that person and bring in the wrong person. Philippe Clement struggled in charge and Martin was even more disappointing, and the Gers must avoid past errors when it comes to hiring.
As they look to maintain their impressive form against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, Coventry City may have to do so without two players following the latest injury news.
Lampard: Coventry "spot on" in Millwall thrashing
Frank Lampard is doing an excellent job at Coventry. The former Chelsea manager is reviving his career in the technical area and has transformed the Sky Blues from a frustrated mid-table side into serious play-off hopefuls, and that transformation was on show for all to see against Millwall.
Hagi Wright’s brace, followed by goals from Ellis Simms and Kaine Kesler-Hayden from the bench saw the visitors secure a 4-0 rout of their London opposition and move into the automatic promotion spot after eight Championship games.
Still unbeaten and not slowing down, Lampard was full of praise for his side in his post-match reaction – saying: “A really good performance because that’s a tough place to come – it’s a strong squad, strong team they have and the feeling is the stadium is hard to come here and get tight wins, let alone finish the way we did.
“Everything was spot-on from the lads in a busy week – to come here in the middle of the week is a tough challenge. It was great how we started the game, great how we dealt with everything in between, great how we finished the game.”
Up next for Coventry is a trip to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday. The Sky Blues will be hoping to avoid any upset against a side dominated by struggles away from the pitch rather than any progress on it.
This time around, however, Lampard’s side may have to maintain their unbeaten run without two of their star players following the latest injury news.
Update on Torp and Eccles' injuries
As revealed by Lampard, Coventry could be without Victor Torp and Josh Eccles against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. The duo were forced off through injury in the second half and face a race against time to travel to Hillsborough.
Lampard seemed fairly relaxed about both injuries in his reaction. Whether that’s a good indication as to how serious they are will be interesting to see, but it would come as no surprise if Saturday came too soon for both Torp and Eccles. The big task that the Sky Blues manager now has is finding replacements for two fresh injury concerns.
Insofar as anything is conclusive during the first few weeks of the summer transfer window, Liverpool have been issued a rather unequivocal no in regard to Alexander Isak.
Arne Slot would love nothing more than to front his project with Newcastle United’s “world-class assassin”, as Isak has been referred by pundit Alan Shearer, but PIF want a package in the region of £200m to free him from his £120k-per-week contract.
It’s not going to happen, in all likelihood. However, that doesn’t mean Liverpool will shelve their interest in a new number nine. There are alternative options on the market.
Liverpool are spending liberally this summer, no doubt, but this is hardly a scattergun approach from Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes; more so, the execution of meticulous planning.
Richard Hughes and Arne Slot
The expeditious nature of their activity highlights FSG’s thought-out strategy, with the club-record signing od Florian Wirtz the perfect representation of that fact.
Why Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz
Wirtz is now officially a Liverpool player. Last week, the Merseysiders agreed a £100m fixed fee – which could rise to a British-record £116m – for Bayer Leverkusen’s star man; now, the Premier League champions have officially announced their marquee move.
After some protracted negotiations, Wirtz is finally Liverpool’s and will bring his “truly generational talent” – as has been said by sports media professional Cristian Nyari – to Slot’s side, a daunting thought for the club’s rivals both domestically and abroad.
But not for Liverpool. While Trent Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave for Real Madrid upset more than a few, here we have a surpassing playmaker of a different breed, one who could spearhead years of sustained success.
Florian Wirtz
And while Liverpool might not be able to secure Isak’s services this summer, there’s every chance that Wirtz could be leading the supply line for another first-rate centre-forward.
Liverpool lining up new striker
Several alternatives are on the line for Liverpool, including Hugo Ekitike, but as per Rousing the Kop, Liverpool have identified Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as the perfect option to sign this summer, should Isak remain out of reach.
Osimhen, who completed a successful loan move with Galatasaray last season, is looking to leave Naples this summer and is believed to have a £60m release clause in his contract.
Galatasaray's VictorOsimhencelebrates scoring a goal that was later disallowed
The Turkish giants are looking to bring him back for good, while suitors in the Saudi Pro League continue their long-time bid to bring the 26-year-old over to the Gulf.
However, Liverpool could give him a place at the front of one of football’s most exciting projects.
Why Liverpool want Victor Osimhen
With Darwin Nunez set to depart – curiously, Napoli are chasing a deal for the Uruguay star – Liverpool could find they have a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Serie A champions for their profitable number nine.
Napoli star Victor Osimhen
After scoring 37 goals across 41 matches for Galatasaray last year, winning the Turkish Super Lig, the rangy and powerful frontman has kept his instruments sharp as he targets a statement move.
Osimhen has proven himself by now as one of Europe’s most reliable goalscorers, and though the Premier League would ostensibly present him with the highest calibre of opposition, across the span of a season, that he has faced in his career, with Wirtz by his side there will be more than enough support to maintain top levels of scoring.
24/25 – Galatasaray
41
37
8
23/24 – Napoli
32
17
4
22/23 – Napoli
39
31
5
21/22 – Napoli
32
18
6
20/21 – Napoli
30
10
3
Osimhen’s complete attacking skill set and unflappable mentality suggest that not only could be a dream for Wirtz, but he’d ensure even the most ardent of Liverpool-supporting Isak fans are able to forget about Newcastle’s talisman.
Having spearheaded Napoli’s Scudetto-winning season of 2022/23, Osimhen established himself as one of the game’s true elite, even labelled as “the best striker on the market” by Statman Dave back in February.
Isak might be a bit more dynamic in his mobility, but the Nigerian is hardly a sluggish forward, having ranked among the top 4% of positional peers across Europe last season for shot-creating actions, the top 18% for progressive carries, the top 16% for ball recoveries and the top 9% for aerial battles won per 90, as per FBref.
He’s a “transitional monster” described by analyst Ben Mattinson, with incredible off-the-ball awareness and positioning that should see him rake goals in by the dozen at Liverpool, with the likes of Wirtz and Mohamed Salah creating chances for him.
Bayer Leverkusen's FlorianWirtzreacts
As per Sofascore, Wirtz, who is principally a central attacking midfielder but has the capacity to drift across most attacking areas, assisted 12 goals and created 17 big chances across the 2024/25 season.
In fact, deeper examination shows the German maverick to have averaged 2.1 key passes per game across his entire campaign, for club and country, which is a truly remarkable feat and the perfect illustration of how he will enhance the performance of someone like Osimhen.
To put that in perspective: Alexander-Arnold has averaged 1.9 key passes per fixture across the span of his own career – and, frankly, we all know just how peerless his playmaking has been at Liverpool.
Wirtz has proven himself across several seasons in the Bundesliga, winning the division’s Player of the Year award in 2023/24 after playing an instrumental part in Leverkusen’s invincible prize-winning campaign.
He’s only just getting started, and if allowed to forge a relationship with Osimhen, there’s no telling how deadly Liverpool could be next year.
He could surpass Salah: Liverpool now prepared to sign another £100m star
Liverpool are in the market for a centre-forward this summer.
When it comes to transfers, Arsenal are set to be one of the more active Premier League sides over the coming months, with Mikel Arteta even admitting that the club will undergo a “big” window of recruitment.
Arsenal laying groundwork for key summer signings
A lot of groundwork has already been laid on Arsenal’s summer deals by sporting director Andrea Berta, not to mention his boardroom predecessors Edu and Jason Ayto.
Arsenal back off with Liverpool now favourites to sign "dream" striker
Arne Slot’s side are in pole position right now.
2 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 6, 2025
Predating Berta’s arrival at the Emirates, Arsenal entered advanced talks to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad as far back as January, and the Gunners are now hoping to finalise the Spain international’s capture despite very mixed messages.
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
Members of the media are convinced that Arsenal are set to sign Zubimendi, while Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay and the player himself have publicly tried to pour cold water over an imminent move to N5.
Arsenal will be mindful that the 26-year-old publicly rejected a move to Liverpool at the last minute in 2024, and supporters will also be erring on the side of caution when it comes to celebrating Zubimendi’s capture, at least until he’s pictured hoisting the red shirt aloft.
In any case, they’ve worked extensively on his transfer, not to mention a potential move for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
The Slovenia international is one of Arsenal’s top striker targets alongside Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting CP, but as things stand, it appears Berta is prioritising a deal for the former.
Fabrizio Romano shared news on Friday that Arsenal are advancing for Sesko, but cautions fans that it still isn’t on the verge of being done just yet.
With critics eager to see Berta sign a much-needed striker this summer, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has shared another update on their pursuit of Sesko.
Benjamin Sesko keen to join Arsenal with talks ongoing
According to the reliable reporter, Sesko is keen to join Arsenal, and the north Londoners are currently in very positive talks with his representatives.
Arteta’s side are moving forward with conviction when it comes to agreeing personal terms, but Berta will also have to dig deep into the Arsenal coffers to get this one over line.
Called an “underrated” striker by members of the press, Sesko bagged 21 goals in all competitions last season, which is a fairly modest return, but the club’s repeated attempts to sign him in the last 12 months show what a big fan Arteta must be of the player.
At this stage, Arsenal may as well just go all in and finally acquire the 22-year-old’s signature.