Bradford Bulls land deal for Wigan Warriors prop from 2027

Bradford Bulls have completed their first significant piece of transfer business for 2027 – after securing the services of Wigan Warriors prop Sam Eseh on a long-term deal.

Eseh has agreed to return to West Yorkshire from the start of next season after signing a three-year deal with Kurt Haggerty’s side. He becomes of the first of what will likely be several high-profile additions at Odsal.

Eseh joined Wigan in 2024 but initially found opportunities hard to come by. A season-long loan at Hull FC last year proved to be the forward’s breakthrough in Super League, with Eseh making a huge impression at the MKM Stadium.

He has returned to Wigan at the start of this season and become a firm regular in Matt Peet’s plans.

Eseh has made 14 appearances in all competitions, but when his contract at the Brick Community Stadium expires later this year, he will instead join Bradford after agreeing to link up with the Bulls from 2027 onwards.

Eseh explains Bulls switch

“I’m very excited, having spoken to Jason (Hirst, CEO) and Kurt about the direction the club is going in and seeing how passionate they were with their vision of the club, I feel like it’s the right time and the right challenge for me,” he said. “I am excited for what’s ahead.

“They have shown that they’re a team that are here to compete in Super League, here to stay in the Super League and hopefully get up to the top of the table and compete. I like the way Kurt plays, he’s a great coach and I think the way Bradford play will suit me a lot.

“The three-year deal is good, every step in my career has shaped me to the player that I am now. I’m thankful to Wigan and I have nothing but respect and great memories of the club and hope to make even more memories as the year passes by, but I am very excited to join Bradford. The club has a passionate fan base and I cannot wait to perform for them.”

Eseh a ‘really exciting’ addition for Bradford

Bulls coach Haggerty admitted he was thrilled to secure Eseh’s signature on a long-term deal. He said: “First of all, having met him a couple of times he’s a fantastic young man. He’s big, he’s athletic, he’s aggressive and he suits everything we want as a middle for the Bradford Bulls.

“He’s been at some fantastic clubs, the likes of Hull, Wakefield and Wigan in particular, so he’s coming from good stock and he’s got a good pedigree. He’s ultra professional and I’m sure he’s going to come into our environment and thrive even more.

“There’s still a lot of coaching in Sam, he seems very coachable when I’ve spoken to him and he understands it is exciting the way that we play rugby. We think there’s a couple of parts of his game that we can help him unlock, so he’s going to be a really exciting player for the Bradford Bulls.”