Why £57m Sunderland star looks like a better signing than Brobbey

It’s been a disappointing start to 2026/27 for Regis Le Bris‘ men, but it’s easy to forget just what a wild ride it’s been for Sunderland in recent years.

This writer, albeit while sat in the Wycombe Wanderers end (sorry), was there the day that the Black Cats secured promotion in the League One play-off final back in 2022, the noise inside Wembley having been deafening among those in red and white.

Just four years on, the Wearside outfit are now a Premier League club again and find themselves in Europe too, with Le Bris having worked wonders during his stellar spell at the Stadium of Light.

REUTERS/Lee Smith

It’s been a managerial tenure littered with marquee signings, including Brian Brobbey, the unique Dutchman hopefully set to be back fit and firing sooner rather than later.

Why Brobbey is now one of the best in the Premier League

Having seen Marc Guiu’s loan spell cut short by Chelsea last year, Sunderland secured a swift replacement with the late, £17.3m signing of Brobbey from Ajax.

Reuters/Lee Smith

It certainly felt like a gamble at the time, this a striker whom Dutch icon Ronald Koeman had slammed back in 2023, describing Brobbey’s finishing and first touch as “not good”.

Well, the former Manchester United target has certainly proven Koeman wrong during his time in England so far, ending his debut campaign with seven goals from just 22 top-flight starts.

He’s already up to three in five outings so far this term, all of those having come during his standout display in the 5-3 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad.

That performance showed what the 24-year-old is all about, as did his displays at the World Cup, with Brobbey netting three across his four appearances this summer.

He’s almost unplayable with his back to goal and is starting to find a more consistent end product too, with it no surprise that pundit Don Goodman has described the forward as “the best striker in the Premier League” in terms of his hold-up play and link play.

What a bargain he’s proven for Le Bris and co, with Brobbey not the only one that Sunderland have struck gold on.

Sunderland have struck gold on their most valuable player

It’s still early days in 2026/27, with the season already disrupted by that extended international break, while there are also those still perhaps enduring a post-World Cup hangover.

A shaky six games shouldn’t overshadow what was a stellar campaign back in the top flight last time around, with Le Bris leading the newly-promoted side into the Europa League.

There were even slim hopes of Champions League qualification at one stage, the Black Cats, alongside Leeds United, having bucked the trend in terms of avoiding a swift return to the Championship.

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Last summer’s recruitment was central to that, including the signing of DR Congo international, Noah Sadiki, the 21-year-old having been such a hit in Le Bris’ midfield unit.

Snapped up from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise for a fee of just £15m, Sadiki has arguably been an even bigger bargain than Brobbey, earning rave reviews for his all-action displays.

In 2025/26, for instance, he started 33 games in the Premier League, taking to life in England like a duck to water, as did so many of his new teammates.

He’s not one to chip in in terms of goals and assists, but boy is he effective at eating up ground and dominating the centre of the park, showcasing why he was hailed as the ‘Mini Kante’ back in Belgium.

Already this season, too, he’s averaging two tackles and interceptions per game, while having only been dribbled past 0.3 times per game, proving so difficult to get the better of in that midfield role.

There’s also been an uptick in terms of what he offers in a progressive sense, having averaged 1.2 key passes per game so far, while creating two ‘big chances’ already. For context, he didn’t create a single ‘big chance’ in the entirety of last season.

REUTERS/Scott Heppell

Fitness woes, following his World Cup involvement, have ensured the Black Cats haven’t quite seen the best of him as yet this term, but he remains a real masterstroke of a signing as far as Le Bris and co are concerned.

Rival clubs are already sniffing around, including Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea, with that interest no doubt warranted for a player who has seen his market value soar of late.

Indeed, as per CIES Football Observatory, Sadiki is deemed to be the most valuable player at the club, even above the likes of Brobbey, with his current worth said to be at a maximum of €67m (£57m).

That is a remarkable rise considering his initial £15m price tag, with Sunderland having undoubtedly struck gold with this signing already.