ROEFS: STAT BREAKDOWN

Sunderland have had plenty of early contenders for signing of the season and it’s fair to say Sunderland’s new Dutch goalkeeper, Robin Roefs, is right up there. Following Anthony Patterson’s heroics at Wembley many wouldn’t have held it against the club to give the academy graduate a chance in the Premier League. However, the decision to bring in Roefs has shown to be a very clever bit of business, but how does he compare to the other keepers in the top flight?

Distribution issues have been the main criticism of Anthony Patterson’s game whilst for Roefs it has been a considerable strength. So far this season, the Dutchman has attempted 295 passes which is the sixth most in the league. His goal kicks have seen 92.5% launched long, linking very much to a topic that is being hotly debated about teams going back to basics instead of over reliance on playing out from the back. Roefs has the second highest average length of goal kicks at 64.5%, sitting just behind Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens which sits at 67.3%.

His height has also added another strength to our defense with his huge stature allowing him to come out and collect crosses with relative ease at times. Only Nick Pope (19) has stopped more crosses than Roefs (16). 

Obviously, the main job of a goalkeeper is to keep the ball out of the net so whilst it’s all good having these other attributes, if you are still conceding goals it becomes less relevant. Roefs has made some crucial saves and put in some massive performances to get us points, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest being standouts performances from the 22-year-old. With 31 saves in nine matches, only Burnley’s Martin Dubravka (37) has made more. Roefs has the second best save percentage in the league with 82.1%, just behind Arsenal keeper David Raya who has 84.2%.

The shot stopper also finds himself joint third for clean sheets, behind Raya and Pope which is a magnificent achievement for not just the goalkeeper, but for the entire squad.

The Dutchman’s fine form has also earned himself a call up for the Netherlands senior squad. He is yet to make his debut for Oranje but the fact that he’s in that environment with other talented players in the dressing room can only benefit him further. 

Roefs is also one of just three keepers to save a penalty this season, alongside former Sunderland man Jordan Pickford and Brentford’s Caoimhín Kelleher.

The signing of Roefs has helped us pick up some crucial points in the opening stages of the campaign and with him still being very young, the Black Cats have got an absolute gem between the sticks and one that is almost certainly looking like a bargain at around £12 million.