Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey has again found himself a topic of conversation in the Dutch press.

When Brian Brobbey first signed for Sunderland, there were several voices in the Dutch media who questioned the wisdom of such a big money move for a player whose time in the Netherlands had, to all intents and purposes, fizzled out.

The Black Cats paid a hefty £21 million to Ajax for the striker’s services, despite him spending much of the latter stages of his time in Amsterdam struggling for either fitness or form.

Of course, since then, Brobbey has gone a long way towards vindicating Sunderland’s investment - and faith - in him. The hulking centre forward may only have three goals to his name so far this season, but that relatively modest figure belies the notable impact that he has had on Regis Le Bris’ side and the attacking threat they pose.

In recent weeks, Brobbey has frequently proven himself to be an incredibly canny and powerful focal point for the Black Cats, and as the weeks tick by, he looks to be growing into his role as a Premier League number nine more and more.

Even in this month’s 3-0 hiding at the hands of Brentford, it was Brobbey - industrious and bothersome as ever - who won the penalty that, on another day, might have represented a turning point in Sunderland’s fortunes.

Interestingly, one of the reporters in attendance at that game was Algemeen Dagblad journalist Sjourd Mossou - one of the continental journalists who, by his own admission, has expressed doubts about Brobbey in the past. And judging by an anecdote from the writer, as relayed by Voetbal Primeur, the 23-year-old has not forgotten his previous comments.

What has been said about Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey?

You see, having recently published an interview with Brobbey’s Sunderland teammate and compatriot Robin Roefs, Mossou admitted in a recent podcast appearance that he had hoped to speak to the Black Cats hitman after the final whistle at the Gtech Community Stadium. Instead, however, the Dutchman decided to swerve a chat - not that Mossou seemed to begrudge him at all.

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In fact, based on these latest comments, it would appear that the journalist has backtracked a little on his previous criticism of the Sunderland man. He explained: “Brobbey just kept going [through the mix zone at Brentford]. That’s been a long time coming, to be honest. I don’t see that very often with Dutch players anymore. Generally, they always stop, but Brobbey wasn’t in the mood.

“I once wrote a rather pathetic piece about Brobbey. A critical piece during his Ajax days. He might still be angry about that. I would consider that an acceptable reason. I’m actually quite happy with that sentiment. I’d find it worse if he just didn’t give a damn about the media or his own presentation, in an arrogant way. That’s usually a bad sign for an up-and-coming player. I hope he just thinks I’m a jerk.”

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