Sunderland had “maverick” talent on loan, now he’s worth more than Brobbey

Sunderland has the swagger of a team that is confident it can secure immediate survival in the Premier League.

With two league wins already under their belt, Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats headed into the chaos of transfer deadline day with a bit between their teeth, culminating in three more signings entering the building to bump the summer spending up on Wearside to a huge £162m.

Bertrand Traore, Brian Brobbey, and Luthsharel Geertruida all joined the ever-rising ranks in quick succession, with Brobbey costing the most lavish fee on the window’s final day at a hefty £21.6m.

There will be pressure on the Dutchman’s shoulders to succeed from the get-go in the Premier League, having previously been a goal machine for his now ex-employers Ajax.

What Brobbey can offer Sunderland

While Leeds United and Burnley remained quiet on the deadline day, as the other top-flight newcomers, Sunderland showed they meant business once again by landing the 23-year-old’s signature.

Le Bris will be especially keen to work with yet another exciting raw talent, with the two-time Eredivisie winner once a much-talked-about starlet in Amsterdam, when collecting a staggering 80 strikes for Ajax at U17, U19, and U21 level.

He has since displayed that same lethal edge in the men’s game in the Netherlands, having tallied up 56 senior strikes for Ajax, before Sunderland came calling.

With Marc Guiu now back at Chelsea, having been recalled in the wake of Liam Delap’s concerning injury, Brobbey does feel like he’s a more than capable replacement for the Blues youngster, considering he already possesses the goalscoring prowess to be a success in a top division.

However, as is the harsh reality of football, not every standout purchase ends up going on to be a phenomenal success, with Sunderland never quite able to get the very best out of this former loan attacker, who is now amazingly worth more than the brand-new Black Cats marksman.

The ex-loan “maverick” now worth more than Brobbey

Sunderland fans must have been watching on with amazement at the sheer number of high-profile signings that were signed off on this summer, with the hardened Wearside masses still able to recollect their team’s dire days down in League One.

After their relegation from the top-flight was confirmed at the close of the bleak 2016/17 season, the Black Cats were stuck in the EFL mire right up until promotion was triumphantly clinched earlier this year, with a four-campaign stint in the third tier thrown into the mix.

Bizarrely, before firing home wonderful solo goals like this one for AFC Bournemouth regularly, Antoine Semenyo even called the Black Cats home during the midst of their depressing League One stay.

When Semenyo was shoved out on loan to Wearside from then parent side Bristol City, he was worth just an estimated £340k, as per Football Transfers. Now, even after never collecting a single goal or assist for the League One marooned side, he is worth far more as a Premier League regular for the Cherries.

Semenyo was hailed as a “dangerous” talent by his then Sunderland manager Phil Parkinson when the pair were together at the Stadium of Light, but nobody would have foreseen the rise he would then undergo, with the exciting Ghanaian now up to 24 goals and 11 assists on the South Coast, which has seen his value skyrocket.

According to Football Transfers, the Cherries “maverick” – as he has been dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson – is now worth in the region of £41m, which is a huge increase from his earlier £340k valuation when he was a wide-eyed forward on Wearside.

This is also around £20m more than Sunderland’s standout deadline purchase of Brobbey, with the Dutchman hopeful he can make wave similar waves in the Premier League shortly, albeit when donning the famous red and white strip that never quite suited Semenyo.