Sunderland have gone 346 minutes without scoring a goal in the Premier League after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Leeds United on Sunday at the Stadium of Light.
Since returning from the international break, the Black Cats have lost 2-0 to Brighton, lost 2-0 to Bournemouth, and drawn 0-0 with Leeds in their three league outings.
The last goal scored by Regis Le Bris‘s side in the Premier League came in the 59th minute of their 5-3 defeat to Manchester City before the break, as Brian Brobbey completed his hat-trick.
Sunderland’s Dutch striker is their top scorer in the league this season, with three goals, but he failed to get on the scoresheet against Leeds on Sunday.
Why Sunderland need another Brian Brobbey
The Black Cats need to find a reliable alternative to the Netherlands international for multiple reasons. Firstly, they need an alternative because he is not always clinical and effective in front of goal himself.
Brobbey missed a one-on-one with James Trafford in the first half of the game, as he failed to lift the ball over the goalkeeper, and has now failed to score in five of his six league appearances this season.
His hat-trick against Manchester City has been his only contribution as a goalscorer this season, after he also scored seven goals in the division in the 2025/26 campaign.
On top of needing a player who can step in and deliver goals when Brobbey is not at his best, Sunderland also need an alternative to the striker when he is injured or suspended, after the forward missed the games against Brighton and Bournemouth through injury.
|
26/27 Premier League |
Brian Brobbey |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
6 |
|
xG |
3.16 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Big chances missed |
2 |
|
xA |
0.13 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Duel success rate |
52% |
Timur Tutierov has been called upon as a back-up to the Dutchman in recent weeks, but the Ukraine international is a winger by trade and does not offer the same physical presence as Brobbey.
Sunderland have a bigger talent than Tutierov warming the bench
Thankfully, Le Bris has a player warming his bench who is an even bigger talent than Tutierov and who could be the club’s next version of Brobbey in the future.
Towards the end of the summer transfer window, the Black Cats swooped to sign young centre-forward Juan Angulo from Independiente del Valle for a fee of around £5m.
The Ecuador international has only played nine minutes of football for the first-team since his move to the club, but he has been an unused substitute in the last two Premier League matches.
Tutierov came through the ranks as a winger and only scored three goals in 17 matches on loan at Exeter in League One in the 2025/26 campaign, whilst Angulo excelled at senior level with Independiente del Valle.
South American reporter Nathan Joyes described him as a “man-mountain” who will “fit well into into the top leagues” because he has physicality and technical ability in the centre-forward position.
The 6 foot 4 marksman has the presence to hold off defenders and be a nuisance to physical defenders, like Brobbey, but he also has the potential to score goals on a regular basis.
|
Stats |
Tutierov (25/26 L1) |
Angulo (2026 LigaPro Serie A) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
17 |
15 |
|
Goals |
3 |
6 |
|
Big chances missed |
2 |
4 |
|
Conversion rate |
18% |
29% |
|
Big chances created |
3 |
3 |
|
Assists |
1 |
3 |
Last season, Angulo scored twice as many goals as Tutierov at league level and created three times as many goals for his teammates, despite playing two fewer games.
The Ecuador international, who has scored one goal in three games for his country, should be unleashed by Le Bris so that the Ukrainian youngster, who scored against Lech Poznan last week, can play in his natural position on the left flank.
Angulo, unlike the Sunderland academy graduate, is a natural centre-forward who can offer a physical outlet for the Black Cats in the number nine position, which makes him a better alternative to Brobbey.
His return of six goals in seven starts in the Serie A before his move to the Stadium of Light in the summer also suggests that he could provide a goalscoring threat akin to the Dutchman’s, if he can adapt to English football.
Angulo is an exciting young striker, at the age of 18, and has already scored more goals at senior level than Tutierov, who is three years older than him, which is why he looks like an even bigger talent than the Ukraine U21 international.
It is now up to Le Bris to provide him with the opportunity to step up and become the club’s alternative to Brobbey in the centre-forward role, as he has the potential to be the club’s next version of the ex-Ajax star.
