Brian Brobbey’s turnaround at Sunderland has led to some impressive backtracking in the Netherlands.
And it’s showing no signs of stopping either. That’s at least if the latest from Soccer News is anything to go by.
They cover comments from the likes of Johan Derksen and René Van der Gijp. They’ve both been full of praise for the Sunderland striker this week on Vandaag Inside.
Brobbey was a surprise signing for Sunderland late in the summer transfer window. He joined for an initial €20m fee, with another €5m in bonuses included on top.
That deal raised eyebrows at the time. Brobbey had been struggling in the Netherlands for some time, with a tally of seven goals and six assists in 44 games in all competitions in his final season at Ajax leading to plenty of criticism.
Indeed, he didn’t manage a goal in the Eredivisie from the beginning of March to the end of last season. He also only managed one assist in that time, in the middle of May.
Patience among pundits and analysts had very much run out as a result. They were often vocal with their criticism during his second spell at Ajax. Now, though, it’s all praise as he’s back in favour with Sunderland.
“You know what I like, René? I follow English football closely, and Brobbey scored the decisive goal for Sunderland again,” said Derksen.
“He’s truly blossoming there and really enjoying it. He would have been a loser here! He was feeling a bit homesick at RB Leipzig. He didn’t feel at home there.
“You’re worried when he goes to play for Sunderland, because it’s such a factory town. There’s no taste or smell there (we can ignore that as friendly fire), but Brobbey is truly blossoming.”
“He comes in with four goals in thirty league matches for Ajax,” added Van der Gijp.
“Everyone thinks that can’t be much, man. Then you score two important goals. If you come on eight times and don’t, everyone says: That’s nothing, we already knew that.”
