Ipswich Town face Nathan Broadhead exit dilemma - Birmingham City, Middlesbrough & Coventry City should be on alert | OneFootball

We looked at three Championship clubs who should be monitoring Nathan Broadhead's situation at Ipswich Town.

As Ipswich Town prepare for life back in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League, forward Nathan Broadhead is facing an uncertain future at Portman Road.

Broadhead joined Ipswich from Everton for a fee of around £1.5 million in January 2023, and he was part of the squad that won back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, with the Welsh international scoring 21 goals and providing 11 assists in 62 appearances during those seasons.

However, it was a frustrating campaign for Broadhead in the top flight last season as he struggled to nail down a regular place in the team, and he was unable to make an impact when given a chance by manager Kieran McKenna.

With plenty of competition for places in the wide areas from the likes of Omari Hutchinson, Chiedozie Ogbene, Jaden Philogene and Jack Clarke, there are big question marks about whether Broadhead will feature regularly next season in the Championship, and as he has just one year remaining on his contract, the Tractor Boys have a big decision to make on whether to cash in on the 27-year-old this summer.

Should Ipswich give Broadhead the green light to depart, he would likely have no shortage of suitors, and we looked at three clubs who should be closely monitoring his situation in Suffolk.

Birmingham City

Birmingham City are back in the Championship after winning the League One title last season, and owner Tom Wagner has made it clear that the club are aiming to emulate Ipswich's achievement of consecutive promotions in the upcoming campaign.

Wagner has certainly not been afraid to spend again this summer as he looks to fund another promotion bid, and the Blues have already brought in six new signings, including Rennes forward Kyogo Furuhashi in a deal worth up to £10 million.

Winger Demarai Gray is another of Birmingham's summer recruits, and while his return to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park has been widely celebrated by supporters, he provided just one assist in 25 appearances for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq last season, so the Midlands outfit are not getting a player in strong form.

With Emil Hansson out of favour, the Blues may need another option on the left who can come into the team if Gray does not perform, and with Broadhead scoring 13 goals from that position during his last season in the Championship, he would be a strong addition for Chris Davies' side, while his previous experience of back-to-back promotions could help them achieve their bold objectives.

Middlesbrough

After finishing 10th in the Championship last season following a disappointing second half of the campaign, Middlesbrough parted company with head coach Michael Carrick last month, and former Luton Town manager Rob Edwards has taken over at the Riverside Stadium.

Boro do have plenty of attacking threat in the forward areas on paper, but many of their stars failed to deliver consistently last season, and winger Riley McGree had a number of spells on the sidelines through injury, meaning Carrick often had to field a makeshift option on the left.

Edwards would have been hoping to get the best out of McGree next season, but he again went off with injury in Wednesday's pre-season friendly defeat at Bradford City, and as it will be difficult to rely on him to stay fit for long enough, Broadhead could be the perfect upgrade on the Australian.

Of course, if Edwards deploys the wing-back system he frequently used at Luton, there may not be space in the team for out-and-out wingers, but given his ability to play on the left or as a central striker, Broadhead's arrival would certainly allow the Boro boss to be flexible with how he sets up his forward line.

Coventry City

After surging up the table in the second half of last season under Frank Lampard to book a top six place, Coventry City's campaign ended in heartbreak as they were knocked out of the play-offs at the semi-final stage in dramatic fashion by Sunderland.

The Sky Blues will be aiming to challenge towards the top of the Championship again next season, and they will be looking to Haji Wright, who scored 12 goals in 29 appearances during an injury-disrupted campaign last term, to lead their promotion charge.

Wright has often been deployed on the left in his time at the CBS Arena, but with Lampard seemingly unconvinced by his striker options - Ellis Simms, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Norman Bassette - there is every chance the USA international could be moved to a central role in the upcoming campaign.

Should Lampard opt to use Wright through the middle, that would open up a space on the left, and while Ephron Mason-Clark could get the nod in that position, Broadhead would add significant firepower to Coventry's starting line-up, and his previous promotion experience could be invaluable as the club finally look to get over the line in their pursuit of Premier League football.