Sunderland‘s struggles in front of goal continued on Saturday night as they failed to score in a 2-0 defeat to Premier League champions Arsenal at the Stadium of Light.
Enzo Le Fee missed a penalty, which would have put the hosts 1-0 up, and that miss means that the team have only scored three goals in their opening four games in the division.
Their goalscoring woes this season should not come as a major surprise, though, because the Black Cats only scored 42 goals in the Premier League last term, ranking 17th in the division for goals scored.
One of the reasons why Regis Le Bris‘ side have struggled for goals is because their main centre-forward, Brian Brobbey, is not a natural out-and-out goalscorer.
Why Sunderland may need to replace Brian Brobbey
There is absolutely no doubt that the Dutchman provides value in the number nine position with the way that he occupies defenders and holds the ball up for the team.
In the 2-0 loss to Arsenal, though, the former Ajax marksman held the ball up well several times, but ended the match with zero shots taken and 0.01 xA created for his teammates in 90 minutes on the pitch.
In four appearances in the Premier League so far this season, Brobbey is yet to score or create a goal for the Black Cats and has only got himself 0.59 total xG worth of chances.
|
Brobbey (Premier League) |
25/26 |
26/27 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
31 |
4 |
|
xG |
5.94 |
0.59 |
|
Goals |
7 |
0 |
|
Big chances missed |
12 |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
2 |
1 |
|
Assists |
1 |
0 |
For all the value that he provides as a physical outlet, the 24-year-old attacker does not do enough to get himself into high-quality goalscoring positions for Sunderland.
His return of seven goals and 13 ‘big chances’ missed in the Premier League since the start of last season also shows that he has been wasteful with the opportunities that have fallen his way.
Le Bris, therefore, may have to start thinking about how the team could look without Brobbey as a starter if he wants his team to score goals more regularly in the top-flight.
Sunderland have a Haaland-esque replacement for Brobbey
Thankfully, for the French manager, the club do already have an exciting young talent who could develop into the perfect replacement for the Netherlands international at the Stadium of Light.
On deadline day, the Black Cats swooped to sign 18-year-old centre-forward Juan Angulo from Independiente del Valle for a fee of around £5m to bolster their number nine options.
The Ecuadorian club were hoping to keep hold of the striker until the end of 2026 to help them in their season, but Sunderland were insistent on bringing him to England immediately.
Angulo has since been given the green light to travel to England to meet up with his new teammates for the first time, and he now has an opportunity to impress Le Bris in training.
The Ecuador youth international was not involved in the matchday squad against Arsenal on Saturday, but he had only recently arrived in England and it may take him time to adapt to the intensity of football in this country.
He was paraded in front of the supporters at the Stadium of Light before the loss to the Gunners, though, and supporters can now look forward to actually seeing him in action on the turf.
|
2026 LigaPro Serie A |
Juan Angulo |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
15 |
|
Starts |
7 |
|
Goals |
6 |
|
Conversion rate |
29% |
|
Big chances missed |
4 |
|
Big chances created |
3 |
|
Assists |
3 |
The 18-year-old marksman made his senior breakthrough with Independiente del Valle and scored an eye-catching six goals in seven starts in the LigaPro Serie A, only missing four ‘big chances’.
Angulo, per U23 scout Antonio Mango, has already been dubbed the “Ecuadorian Haaland” and has both technical quality and physical attributes at 6 foot 3.
Like the Manchester City striker, Haaland, Angulo is a physically imposing centre-forward who is also mobile and willing to run in behind to cause defenders problems with his back to goal and in behind.
Whilst he may not end up scoring over 20 goals a season in the Premier League every year, like the Norway international, the Ecuadorian youngster could be an exciting striker prospect for Sunderland.
Unlike Brobbey, Angulo appears to be a natural goalscorer and efficient finisher who can find the back of the net on a regular basis, on top of being able to offer an outlet as a physical presence.
Therefore, Le Bris may already have his perfect replacement for Brobbey in the building with this teenage star, and it is down to the manager to provide the youngster with a chance to impress in the Premier League.