Sunderland drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, and had one summer signing to thank the most.
Sunderland continued their impressive start back to life in the Premier League at the weekend with a goalless stalemate at Crystal Palace.
Buoyed by victories over West Ham and Brentford, between a disappointing defeat to fellow newly promoted Burnley, Regis Le Bris’ side showed their top flight credentials at Selhurst Park.
Oliver Glasner’s side enjoyed more possession than the resolute Black Cats, but failed to convert their dominance into a victory.
Sunderland have spent over £160m on fresh faces this summer upon their return to the top flight, including the likes of Granit Xhaka and Nordi Mukiele, but Le Bris had one new arrival to thank the most at Palace.
Regis Le Bris praises Robin Roefs after Crystal Palace draw
Sunderland signed Robin Roefs from Dutch outfit NEC Nijmegen in the summer for an £11.5m fee.
The 22-year-old shot-stopper arrived with last season’s number one goalkeeper Anthony Patterson suffering a spell on the sidelines with injury.
Unfortunately for Patterson, he may find it hard to force his way back into the Sunderland starting XI after Roefs’ outstanding efforts to keep his second Premier League clean sheet in his four games.
The Dutchman made a series of splendid saves, with his best keeping out Jean Phillipe-Mateta from close range with his shoulder.
After the game, Le Bris singled out Roefs for praise regarding his performance and how well he has adapted to the Premier League.
As quoted by the Sunderland Echo, Le Bris said: “I think we need players at that level in the Premier League, otherwise we won’t exist.
“So for me it’s not a surprise, I’m really pleased and happy with his performance, of course. But not surprised, and I’m sure he will have other performances like that.
“Thanks to the team too, because to make these saves you need defenders, you need the block, you need to make it hard for the opponent, and when you are a goalkeeper you have to make the final save.
“Probably because he’s young he will improve many things, I hope so. He’s really composed, really calm, he understands the game really well.
“I think his technical and physical attributes, the way he understands the game, the way he can anticipate, the way he can connect with his teammates is really impressive.
“So for me it’s not a surprise, but I’m happy with his performance.”
Robin Roefs has been Sunderland’s signing of summer so far
Eyebrows were raised across the footballing world this summer when Sunderland brought in former Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen dynamo Xhaka to Wearside.
Although the newly appointed Sunderland captain has been leading by example since his arrival, it is Roefs who has been most important to the Black Cats’ stellar start.
Before the Palace draw, Roefs kept a clean sheet against West Ham on his debut, saved a penalty in the 2-1 comeback win against Brentford.
| Key statistic | Robin Roefs vs Crystal Palace |
| Saves | 6 |
| Goals prevented | 1.36 |
| Pass accuracy | 74% |
At Selhurst Park, the Dutch international made six saves in a man-of-the-match to keep Palace at bay and send the Black Cats back to the Stadium of Light with a precious point.
Roefs is establishing himself as one of the best young goalkeepers in the Premier League following his excellent early-season form, and has proven to be an inspired acquisition by Kristjaan Speakman and co.