ROEFS: EXPERT VIEW

Many of us may not know much about our new keeper Robin Roefs, so we decided to speak with someone who does. Here is what Max Bradfield had to tell us about Roefs.

Robin Roefs has only been a first-choice goalkeeper for one season in the Eredivisie, are you surprised he’s made the move to become a first-choice Premier League goalkeeper so early in his career?

Given Robin Roefs’ talent, and the environment around him that encourages youth in the Eredivisie, I’m honestly not too surprised that he has become a starting keeper this early into his career. A Premier League one is a slightly different matter, but with Sunderland’s relatively developmental outlook so far in the transfer window, there’s no reason why he can’t succeed like compatriot Bart Verbruggen at Brighton, who made his PL debut at 21.

Admittedly, a key aspect of his emergence in the last season especially has been his knack for asserting himself when opportunities have risen. 

He initially made his debut for NEC at 19, covering for the injured veteran Jasper Cillessen. This can be seen as one of several key moments for the stopper, as he gradually showed that he could be the 36-year-old’s understudy and eventual replacement. 

He made just five league appearances in 2023–24, but four in the KNVB Cup were also important. He played a big part in the Nijmegen side that reached the final (of which he didn’t play in) before their campaign ended with a 1-0 defeat to Feyenoord. This, and the threat of leaving to pursue game time, were big reasons why he was trusted to start the 2024-25 term as number one with Cilessen’s move to Las Palmas.

Going back to that ability to (so far) rise to the occasion when required, it’ll be interesting to see whether he can translate this to the Premier League. He’s already played against some of England’s best talents at U21 level for the Netherlands in this summer’s Euro tournament and this was another opportunity that arose as he covered for the injured Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro. 

How did he get on last season, what were some of his best moments?

The 2024-25 season was Roefs’ real breakout campaign. In 32 league matches, he kept 10 clean sheets and provided a solid base for the team as NEC finished just inside the top half of the table and were knocked out of the close-season European play-offs.

As per Fotmob, his average game-by-game rating was 7.24 as he impressed across the division. As you’ll likely know, he was followed intently by Dutch giants, Ajax, and even West Ham, LOSC Lille and Napoli were interested before he joined Sunderland.

Over the campaign, Roefs made a great showreel for himself as NEC consolidated themselves as a midtable side. A key match-saving stop came against Utrecht in March. Preserving a 0-1 away win at the death, Roefs adjusted superbly to stop a Sebastien Haller header that was travelling across goal from the right, which was back the way the keeper had come following the cross from the left byline. Another massive save came at Heerenveen. Levi Smans’ shot looked destined for the top-right corner, but Roefs managed to scamper across athletically and tip it over. While two fine parries came against Willem II after shots through a crowded penalty area, another world class stop came against AZ Alkmaar. Troy Parrot lasered one for the top-left corner and Roefs somehow flew up to touch it onto the bar.  

From these few of many saves in 2024-25, it’s no surprise that Roefs was up there alongside Vito van Crooij and Sami Ouaissa as one of NEC’s best performers.

What are his biggest strengths as a goalkeeper?

Roefs possesses a great ability to make difficult saves look relatively routine. He uses his 6’4 frame and imposing wingspan well. He employs great agility and athleticism to tip over or to dive down low for full-stretch saves and body blocks. His reflexes have been top-notch, especially at close range. 

Another interesting facet to his game, is not only his ability to judge the flight of the ball, but also his awareness of who is in close vicinity when making a save. On many occasions, he has been wary in parrying the ball firmly away from further danger, allowing his defence time to reset. His mild-mannered demeanour and calmness under pressure also help in these scenarios.

From looking at his stats, Roefs excelled as both a sweeper outside the box (top 19% percentile amongst positional peers). He excels at rushing off his line to intercept passes and challenge attackers, averaging 1.86 sweeping actions per 90 minutes.

He also shows further confidence in the air (top 1% percentile amongst positional peers), averaging 1.62 high claims per 90.

What are his biggest weaknesses?

While he can play out from the back to a certain degree, one stat that lags behind is his long ball accuracy. A blot on a relatively glowing report so far, it’ll certainly be point of focus as Régis Le Bris considers the best style to implement in the Premier League. 

Another weakness may be a double sided sword in a way, being Roefs’ quick rise. After just one season, he’s not really been at a club under high scrutiny. The question is, does a cross section of solid performances translate to the English top-tier? It’ll be intriguing to find out. Given NEC’s confidence to implement a sell-on clause, Roefs’ ceiling could be quite high.

What do you think are the main differences between being a goalkeeper in the Dutch top flight compared to the Premier League? How quickly do you see him adapting? Do you think he boosts Sunderland’s survival chances?

I think that the big difference between the Premier League to other European leagues at its best, is the all-round technical level and pace of play being far more intense. Obviously, with the PL being one of, if not, the biggest league in the world, there are clear monetary differences compared to a country of the Netherlands’ size too. 

Roefs will have to really rely on his calm temperament and quiet confidence in his own ability while facing some of the world’s best players. With newly-promoted Sunderland, the expectation will likely be that he’ll face a lot of shots. This, in a way, is reflective in the Eredivisie, which although has a more rough round the edges approach, still has excellent offensive players and, of course, a number of clubs that have European calibre. They say pressure makes diamonds, and honestly, with Roefs solid foundation of skills, there’s no reason why he can’t keep his trajectory on an upwards path and play a part in Sunderland’s Premier League survival.

Finally, he was the Netherlands’ number one goalkeeper at the last U21 Euros and has captained the U21s before, do you think he’ll one day play for the senior Netherlands team?

If Roefs has a solid season in the Premier League with Sunderland and then has continues to, I’d expect him to challenge the Oranje goalkeeping core. Solid PL form helped Mark Flekken (with Brentford) enter the national team spotlight and has also cemented Bart Verbruggen (Brighton) as the starting keeper. The competition ahead of him (as well as around with the likes of Justin Bijlow and Owusu-Oduro and more) will be tough, but the next five seasons could definitely see Roefs knocking on Koeman’s door.