Pundit names Sunderland star 'one of the signings of the season' after excellent PL start
One Sunderland summer signing has earned high praise following his great start to life in the Premier League.
Sunderland were not shy in the transfer market but among their best summer acquisitions so far is undoubtedly Robin Roefs.
The Dutch goalkeeper’s arrival was not without controversy given the role Anthony Patterson played in the Black Cats’ promotion from the Championship last season - keeping 14 clean sheets in 42 matches and pulling off a couple of vital saves in the 2-1 play-off final win over Sheffield United. However, Patterson has barely had a look in this season, with his only appearance coming in the EFL Cup defeat to Huddersfield Town.
That is in no small part down to the form Roefs has shown, with only Nick Pope and David Raya (both 5) keeping more clean sheets (4), while he’s also third for saves (25) and second for save percentage (81.3%, FBref).
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Robin Roefs earning the plaudits with Sunderland
Roef’s exploits for Sunderland so far have caught the eye of numerous pundits, including BBC Sport’s John Bennett, who has lavished praise on the former NEC Nijmegen man.
“I am starting to think that Robin Roefs might be one of the signings of the season in the Premier League. At just 22 years of age, he has slotted into what can be a very unforgiving division with ease since his summer move from the Dutch side NEC,” Bennett said of Roefs, who had just 42 senior games under his belt before arriving at the Stadium of Light.
“Saturday's win over Wolves was not his busiest game and Sunderland were fortunate in the second half that their opponents were struggling in the final third, but it was yet another clean sheet for the 22-year-old, adding to a growing collection.
“In fact, opponents have now failed to score against him in 50% of his Premier League matches this season - four clean sheets in eight games. “There have been some memorable saves such as the athletic stretch to deny Bruno Fernandes against Manchester United, but what really stands out is his commanding presence in the Sunderland penalty area.
“Yet again against Wolves, he looked so solid, calm and composed. It is as if he has been playing for the club and with this current set of players for years, which is remarkable when you consider that he is one of 16 summer signings.
“It has been a great start to the season for Sunderland and Roefs is without doubt one of the big reasons why they are flying high. “There may have been more glamorous new arrivals to the Premier League this summer but very few have had the impact he has had so far.”
What next for Sunderland?
Saturday’s 2-0 victory over bottom-of-the-league Wolves was in no way glamorous. In fact, it was one of the most disappointing performances of the season so far. And yet, Sunderland still picked up three more vital points to leave themselves seventh in the table, just two points behind Manchester City in second.
The difficulty only increases now for Regis Le Bris’ men, who travel to Chelsea and host Arsenal over the next few weeks, either side of a home tie against David Moyes’ Everton.