Ajax let Brian Brobbey leave to join Sunderland “a bit too easily” last summer, with clear regret over the deal a year later.
Voetbal Primeur report on comments from journalist Mike Verweij today regarding the Sunderland striker. He’s impressed by Brobbey’s development at the Stadium of Light this season.
Sunderland success
Brian Brobbey joined Sunderland in a €20m deal last year at the end of the summer transfer window.
He departed the Dutch side after a difficult second spell at the club, where he struggled for goals and faced regular criticism from the Dutch press.
That’s been quickly forgotten in England. This season the 24-year-old has been one of the star’s of the show for Sunderland, with seven goals and one assist in 30 Premier League games to date.
The last of those came last weekend as he easily brushed aside Everton’s James Tarkowski to fire home in an eventual 3-1 win.
His performances should put him in line for a starring role for the Netherlands at the World Cup this summer. And Verweij believes manager Ronald Koeman will be happy with the striker’s development.
“This is naturally something that makes Koeman happy,” he said in the Kick-off podcast when discussing Brobbey’s form at Sunderland.
“Brobbey has really picked things up in England. Last year, with four goals, that was really very poor. I think Ajax also let him go a bit too easily. This is good news.”
Netherlands role
The question is what role that Brian Brobbey pays for the Netherlands this summer. Despite his good performances in the Premier League, he’s yet to establish himself as first choice.
Ronald Koeman tends to prefer Memphis Depay as his leading striker, but questions remains over his fitness ahead of the tournament.
That could give the Sunderland striker his chance to make an impression. Whether he can grasp it, remains to be seen.
