What can Robin Roefs bring to Sunderland?

Photo by Jeroen van den Berg/Soccrates/Getty Images

---

Ben McKevitt says…

We’ve made no secret of our desire to bring in a new number one this summer, with links to various stoppers rumbling since the beginning of the window, and with Anthony Patterson clearly not being favoured between the sticks for the opening fixture against West Ham, it’s no surprise that we seem to have brought in our new starting keeper in the form of Roefs.

A quick look at the stats and metrics from his breakout 2024/2025 season shows exactly why the club have seen fit to bring him in for a notable

fee — and how he fits the required profile.

Standing at 6”4, Roefs dominates aerially and this is reflected in eye-catching statistics that place him in the upper percentile for crosses claimed across Europe. At twenty two, he also possesses a great deal of potential ability and value, continuing our youth-centric transfer approach.

It’s a great demonstration of the cohesive plan which has been developed at the club, with the recruitment matching the style of play on the pitch.

It seems clear that Régis Le Bris will continue to push with our narrow, defensive shape, inviting crosses from which we can counter fast in transition. Roefs’ profile lines up perfectly with this game plan and I’m excited to see how he differentiates himself from Patterson on the pitch.

Photo by Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images

---

James Elliott says…

It’s been clear for a little while that we’re in the market for another goalkeeper,

With the size of the rumored fee, I don’t think he’ll be looking to warm our bench but I don’t want this to spell the end for Anthony Patterson. Instead, I’m hoping he’ll provide stronger competition than Simon Moore and Blondy Nna Noekeu, and I think at least one of the two will be moved on anyway.

On the face of it, Roefs looks like a keeper with bags of potential. He made a decent amount of appearances last season and is still at a good age — especially for a goalkeeper.

His reactions look sharp from close range and he seems like a good shot stopper. He’ll really give Régis Le Bris something to think about if he’s intelligent with his distribution and can command his area well — which is where Patterson can sometimes fall short.

I’m excited to see where this one goes as Patterson needs stronger competition to push his development, and Roefs will want to nail down regular football.

---

John Wilson says…

I know there isn’t a timeline for transfers and just because the public were alerted to our interest in a keeper early on, it doesn’t mean it was our number one position to fill, but we all knew there was a new keeper incoming — and here he is.

I know nothing about him, but he’s 6”4 so he could be a dominant presence, and for me, the quality of his distribution will be key.

If we’re expecting to break fast and catch the opposition in transition, his footwork or throwing will need to be top class. I also think he needs to command his box when coming for crosses and shouting instructions to his defence.

If I had to put my neck on the block, I would guess that he’s been brought in as a replacement for Anthony Patterson, although I’d be very happy to be wrong.

I just think that for £11.5 million, he isn’t going to be sitting on the bench. We don’t need two top keepers and for the amount of time a keeper doesn’t play, perhaps Simon Moore can cover a game or two.

I’m prepared to be shot down for that but they’re my initial thoughts, otherwise, what’s the point of keeping Moore?

With Matty Young a supposed long-term answer — although Roefs himself is young — could this could be the best time to sell Patterson, before he potentially lets clubs know he’s not Premier League standard?

Photo by Jeroen van den Berg/Soccrates/Getty Images

---

Jon Guy says…

I have to say it’s a brilliant move by the club.

Roefs is highly rated in the Netherlands, and they have a track record for producing quality keepers. Everything I’ve heard suggests he’s already a star and is on track for the senior national squad.

We’ve been linked with a large number of keepers, many of whom could be deemed to be more established than Roefs. However, we now have a situation where Anthony Patterson — who’s one of England’s rising goalkeeping stars — will train and compete with a young, hungry and highly skilled keeper. They’ll both want the starting spot so will push each other hard.

Given the prices circulated for goalkeepers in this window, £11.5 million is good business for a player who, if he fulfils his promise, will command a huge future fee if we decide to let him go.

A really good signing, in my view.

---

Nic Wiseman says…

Embarrassingly enough, I had to Google him at first but after a quick look at the stats, he fits our profile as a young, up-and-coming Dutch goalkeeper.

Whether he’ll be our new number one as reported or whether he’ll provide competition for Anthony Patterson remains to be seen, but it’s a position that needs filling.

Whether it’ll actually happen is another thing, as we’ve been here before with goalkeeper signings.

Let’s hope this one is the mustard.

Photo by Tullio Puglia - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

---

Phil West says…

At last, it seems our pursuit of a new goalkeeper has reached its conclusion, and just as we signed Thomas Sorensen from the relative obscurity of Odense back in 1998, we’ve looked to the continent yet again, with Roefs seemingly set to be anointed as our number one for 2025/2026 as we successfully cut a deal with Eredivisie side NEC Nijmegen.

Suffice it to say, it’s been one of the more interesting transfer-related subplots of the window so far, and it ticks a box that’s been vacant for quite some time.

As the summer unfolded, a plethora of names were linked with Sunderland — Marcin Bulka, Djordje Petrović, Aaron Ramsdale, Senne Lammens, and so on — but the club has opted to put faith in a young stopper who, by all accounts, comes with a growing reputation at both club and international level and can hopefully give us a fresh injection of quality in what’s undoubtedly a key position.

Naturally, there may be some sceptics who would’ve preferred Sunderland to sign a goalkeeper with Premier League experience.

That’s understandable, but it’s obvious that Roefs is seen as a long-term investment rather than a stopgap measure for a single season. That’s a commendable move on behalf of the club hierarchy and I’m sure it’ll fill him with confidence as he settles into his new surroundings.

With Roefs on board, we’re pretty stacked in the goalkeeping department and assuming he and Anthony Patterson are set to be cemented as first and second choice respectively, the futures of Blondy Nna Noekeu and Simon Moore may lie away from the Stadium of Light, and hopefully we can help them secure moves that’ll afford them regular playing time.

One final observation: I couldn’t help noticing that Roefs bears more than a passing resemblance to snowboarding great and Winter Olympic halfpipe king Shaun White, so perhaps that’s a sign that he’ll possess a superb aerial game and the ability to twist his body into all kinds of shapes in order to prevent goals!

---

More from rokerreport.sbnation.com:

• Roundup: Sunderland 'Stranded' In Southampton; Moyes Bemoans Bad Luck & Watmore Claims Unity
• As Yet Another Defeat Blends In With All The Others, Questions About Our Future Still Remain
• The Relegations: #2 - 1969-70
• BCA: The Magnificent Twenty Seven
• Fan Focus: The Ugly Inside Talk Saints v SAFC
• Is Ellis Ready To Embrace The Drop?
• PLP: Can Chelsea Or Liverpool Win The League?