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Robin Roefs: the most underrated goalkeeper in the Premier League this season?

Robin Roefs: the most underrated goalkeeper in the Premier League this season?

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If newly promoted Premier League teams want to stay in the top flight more than a single season these days, they need to do two things in particular: spend money well, and be capable of clean sheets. Sunderland look to have nailed both in the same transfer.

By Karl Matchett

Since Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Bournemouth came up from the Championship in 2021/22, it’s appeared a much tougher task for second tier sides to climb to the top and then stay there. Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United all did the yo-yo across ‘23 and ‘24, then Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich repeated the trick in limp fashion from ‘24 to ‘25. Early days in 25/26 it might still be, but Sunderland in particular are making a tremendous start to bucking that trend: four wins from eight so far and seventh in the still-fledgeling table. But the Black Cats aren’t outscoring the opposition so much as staying in games through organisation and defensive resolution, before looking to let their final-third quality tell. And a big reason for that is the new No. 1 at the Stadium of Light: Dutch goalkeeper Robin Roefs.

Defence doesn’t lie

Take a look down the last few years of Premier League football and, while obviously points is the defining factor, the goals conceded column tells a similar story too – teams are considerably less likely to be relegated if they are allowing fewer than 70 a season. For context, Burnley are already on course to concede 71, Wolves 76, West Ham 85.

Sunderland have let in only six across their eight games, and while that rate may not hold across the entire campaign, there’s at least scope to feel very positive about their chances of keeping the tallies against them down.

In the xG conceded table, they sit an impressive seventh with 9.7. And as for only conceding six so far, that’s where Roefs comes in.

Roefs on fire

Alisson Becker started the season in great form, but is injured again. David Raya has established himself as one of the best two or three in England over the last couple of years and is again in good form. And another new addition, Gigi Donnarumma at Man City, comes with the pedigree and reputation of a multiple trophy winner at club and country level.

There’s an argument to suggest Roefs has been better than all of them, comparatively speaking, in the early stretch of the season.

Roef’s numbers, Premier League 2025/26

For starters, he’s just one clean sheet (4) behind Raya and Nick Pope (5), who lead that particular standing. And if that’s a team-wide effort, then Roefs’ contribution to it is evident in making 3.4 saves per 90 – third-highest in the league. That said, saves per game by itself is a bit like pass completion percentages for a centre-back: without additional context it might not mean an awful lot.

So, Roefs can also present two additional pieces of data to back up his claim. First, his save percentage – at 82% this season in the league, only Raya can better him. But in preventing 3.0 goals so far, nobody can get near him. Only one other keeper (Dean Henderson, 2.7) is above 2.0 goals prevented, with Raya down on 0.3.

The Dutch stopper is halting more than four out of five efforts thrown at him and they are good quality scoring chances. Add in that he’s saved a penalty and ranks higher than 99% of other top European league goalkeepers for high claims in the past year, and it’s clear the 22-year-old is a real talent with the technique and mentality to thrive in the Premier League.

An eye on the World Cup?

As noted, there’s a long way to go when it comes to staying up, even with an in-form goalkeeper – they haven’t yet played any of the top five, for starters. But there’s a final part of the equation worth keeping an eye on as a big motivating factor when it comes to next summer for Roefs – the World Cup.

He’s uncapped right now, but has made the past couple of national team senior squads and it surely won’t be long before he gets an opportunity under Ronald Koeman if his form continues this way. Roefs is an U21, but his rise has been swift – this is effectively only his second season as a senior starter, having broken through at Dutch club NEC with a handful of appearances in 23/24. Last term he became a starter, before Sunderland swooped for a deal which could be worth a total of about £11.5m.

That looks an absolute steal so far.

Roef’s player traits – comparison against other goalkeepers in top 5 leagues

His competition for a shirt with the Oranje makes for easy comparison: Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen is only half a year older at 23, but has over 100 senior games behind him and 24 caps. While numbers of course don’t tell the whole story, they do show the south coast man is some way behind his younger rival in form so far: a 59% save percentage, 1.1 more goals conceded than expected.

Mark Flekken, now at Bayer Leverkusen, presents the older option, but if the Dutch seal qualification to World Cup 2026 in their next match in November, a first chance for Roefs in the dead rubber against Lithuania might be a hint at future plans.

That’s all for much further in the future; across the next six weeks, Roefs and Sunderland will face the likes of João Pedro, Viktor Gyökeres, Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland. By Christmas we’ll have a clearer picture of his level – and that of his club.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Robin Roefs: the most underrated goalkeeper in the Premier League this season?

If newly promoted Premier League teams want to stay in the top flight more than a single season these days, they need to do two things in particular: spend money well, and be capable of clean sheets. Sunderland look to have nailed both in the same transfer.

By Karl Matchett

Since Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Bournemouth came up from the Championship in 2021/22, it’s appeared a much tougher task for second tier sides to climb to the top and then stay there. Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United all did the yo-yo across ‘23 and ‘24, then Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich repeated the trick in limp fashion from ‘24 to ‘25. Early days in 25/26 it might still be, but Sunderland in particular are making a tremendous start to bucking that trend: four wins from eight so far and seventh in the still-fledgeling table. But the Black Cats aren’t outscoring the opposition so much as staying in games through organisation and defensive resolution, before looking to let their final-third quality tell. And a big reason for that is the new No. 1 at the Stadium of Light: Dutch goalkeeper Robin Roefs.

Defence doesn’t lie

Take a look down the last few years of Premier League football and, while obviously points is the defining factor, the goals conceded column tells a similar story too – teams are considerably less likely to be relegated if they are allowing fewer than 70 a season. For context, Burnley are already on course to concede 71, Wolves 76, West Ham 85.

Sunderland have let in only six across their eight games, and while that rate may not hold across the entire campaign, there’s at least scope to feel very positive about their chances of keeping the tallies against them down.

In the xG conceded table, they sit an impressive seventh with 9.7. And as for only conceding six so far, that’s where Roefs comes in.

Roefs on fire

Alisson Becker started the season in great form, but is injured again. David Raya has established himself as one of the best two or three in England over the last couple of years and is again in good form. And another new addition, Gigi Donnarumma at Man City, comes with the pedigree and reputation of a multiple trophy winner at club and country level.

There’s an argument to suggest Roefs has been better than all of them, comparatively speaking, in the early stretch of the season.

Roef’s numbers, Premier League 2025/26

For starters, he’s just one clean sheet (4) behind Raya and Nick Pope (5), who lead that particular standing. And if that’s a team-wide effort, then Roefs’ contribution to it is evident in making 3.4 saves per 90 – third-highest in the league. That said, saves per game by itself is a bit like pass completion percentages for a centre-back: without additional context it might not mean an awful lot.

So, Roefs can also present two additional pieces of data to back up his claim. First, his save percentage – at 82% this season in the league, only Raya can better him. But in preventing 3.0 goals so far, nobody can get near him. Only one other keeper (Dean Henderson, 2.7) is above 2.0 goals prevented, with Raya down on 0.3.

The Dutch stopper is halting more than four out of five efforts thrown at him and they are good quality scoring chances. Add in that he’s saved a penalty and ranks higher than 99% of other top European league goalkeepers for high claims in the past year, and it’s clear the 22-year-old is a real talent with the technique and mentality to thrive in the Premier League.

An eye on the World Cup?

As noted, there’s a long way to go when it comes to staying up, even with an in-form goalkeeper – they haven’t yet played any of the top five, for starters. But there’s a final part of the equation worth keeping an eye on as a big motivating factor when it comes to next summer for Roefs – the World Cup.

He’s uncapped right now, but has made the past couple of national team senior squads and it surely won’t be long before he gets an opportunity under Ronald Koeman if his form continues this way. Roefs is an U21, but his rise has been swift – this is effectively only his second season as a senior starter, having broken through at Dutch club NEC with a handful of appearances in 23/24. Last term he became a starter, before Sunderland swooped for a deal which could be worth a total of about £11.5m.

That looks an absolute steal so far.

Roef’s player traits – comparison against other goalkeepers in top 5 leagues

His competition for a shirt with the Oranje makes for easy comparison: Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen is only half a year older at 23, but has over 100 senior games behind him and 24 caps. While numbers of course don’t tell the whole story, they do show the south coast man is some way behind his younger rival in form so far: a 59% save percentage, 1.1 more goals conceded than expected.

Mark Flekken, now at Bayer Leverkusen, presents the older option, but if the Dutch seal qualification to World Cup 2026 in their next match in November, a first chance for Roefs in the dead rubber against Lithuania might be a hint at future plans.

That’s all for much further in the future; across the next six weeks, Roefs and Sunderland will face the likes of João Pedro, Viktor Gyökeres, Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland. By Christmas we’ll have a clearer picture of his level – and that of his club.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.