Yes, ‘Sliding doors moments’.
Yes, Chelsea’s recall of Marc Guiu after a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it loan spell at the Stadium of Light.
Yes, a move that opened up a window of opportunity for Sunderland to sign a striker whose numbers for Ajax were more than impressive before an unthinkably traumatic series of off-field events derailed his career in Amsterdam, with Kristjaan Speakman and Florent Ghisolfi prepared to take a chance, present an opportunity to Brian Brobbey and offer him the prospect of a new
start at the Stadium of Light — and holy cow, is it paying dividends.
The path that led Brobbey to Wearside might’ve been somewhat haphazard but after another dominant (albeit non-scoring display) against Tottenham on Sunday, the young Dutchman showed that following his derby heroics and iconic St James’ Park celebration, he’s still got more than enough in the tank to spearhead Sunderland’s push for European football.
If it’s goals you’re looking for, he’s delivered some priceless ones — and could be twenty-plus next season, in my view — but his hold-up play, ability to get his teammates into the thick of the action and ferociously competitive nature make him the perfect man to lead the Régis Le Bris’ coached attack. It’s no slight on Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda — two fine players in their own right — but simply a ringing endorsement of Brobbey.
What’s made his impact all the more remarkable is the fact that notwithstanding his personal strife, he was some distance behind his teammates in terms of fitness and game-readiness upon arrival, having not enjoyed the benefit of a pre-season programme and needing to bide his time when he first joined. That’s mentally tough for an elite athlete but the way he’s acquitted himself has been exceptional.
Prior to his arrival and the impact he’s subsequently made, the only other striker of the Stadium of Light era that was as physically dominant, capable of such impact and able to brush off defenders like autumn leaves was Niall Quinn.
Not even the brilliant Ross Stewart turned opposing centre backs to ashes in such a manner, and a comparison between Brobbey and the iconic Irishman may seem hyperbolic but who else is there, really? Kenwyne Jones was probably the next in line when it came to leading attack with such dynamism (something to which even John Terry attested), but other than the classy Trinidadian, I’m struggling.
However, what separates Quinn — a man who would smile at you while controlling a pass with his chest and lobbing a volley into the top corner before donning the old disco pants for a night on the tiles — from Brobbey is that the Netherlands international possesses what I can only describe as borderline contempt for whoever happens to be marking him at any given moment.
He takes the battles personally; he wants to beat his man and then beat him again and again, showing just what he’s all about and why he’s so damn tough to play against.
Does it push the boundaries? That depends on which side of the fence you sit. If you’re an opposition fan, he’ll get under your skin and irritate the life out of you; if you’re a Sunderland fan, you probably love him and the roof-raising ovation he received when he exited on Sunday seemed to back this up.
Align this with his finishing ability and what we’re looking at is the kind of striker that many teams in this league would give anything to sign — a combination of skill, strength and a take-no-shit attitude that’s emblematic of Sunderland’s entire approach. Want to play some football? Be our guest. He can do that. Want to try and test us physically? We’ll have some of that — and Brobbey is the man on the leading edge.
For 2026/2027, his number one target should be to become even more reliable in front of goal, and if we can get runners in and around him, he’s got the potential to be a useful source of assists as well. One would assume that there’ll be no shortage of interest in him during the summer, but we must attempt to keep him in the fold and to continue to show him as much love as possible, and from there, we’ll continue to get the best out of him.
The futures of Isidor and Mayenda are far less clear cut at this stage but Brobbey’s rise to prominence on Wearside has been quite something to behold.
He’s done more than swap the red and white of Ajax for the red and white of Sunderland: he’s established himself as a genuine Premier League-class striker and showed that despite its patchy reputation during the past two decades, the Eredivisie does produce centre forwards that can cut it in England.
A left-field and somewhat unexpected signing that’s turned out to be an inspirational addition.
“…And he’s Sunderland’s number nine…”
