diff --git a/pkg/kgo/client.go b/pkg/kgo/client.go
index 4aa928b2..d5d09752 100644
--- a/pkg/kgo/client.go
+++ b/pkg/kgo/client.go
@@ -323,7 +323,12 @@ func (cl *Client) fetchBrokerMetadata(ctx context.Context) error {
 	cl.fetchingBrokers = wait
 	cl.fetchingBrokersMu.Unlock()
 
-	defer close(wait.done)
+	defer func() {
+		cl.fetchingBrokersMu.Lock()
+		defer cl.fetchingBrokersMu.Unlock()
+		cl.fetchingBrokers = nil
+		close(wait.done)
+	}()
 
 	_, _, wait.err = cl.fetchMetadata(ctx, kmsg.NewPtrMetadataRequest())
 	return wait.err
@@ -1272,12 +1277,16 @@ func (cl *Client) handleShardedReq(ctx context.Context, req kmsg.Request) ([]Res
 		issue func(reqTry)
 	)
 
+	l := cl.cfg.logger
+	debug := l.Level() >= LogLevelDebug
+
 	// issue is called to progressively split and issue requests.
 	//
 	// This recursively calls itself if a request fails and can be retried.
 	issue = func(try reqTry) {
 		issues, reshardable, err := sharder.shard(ctx, try.req)
 		if err != nil {
+			l.Log(LogLevelDebug, "unable to shard request", "previous_tries", try.tries, "err", err)
 			addShard(shard(nil, try.req, nil, err)) // failure to shard means data loading failed; this request is failed
 			return
 		}
@@ -1293,6 +1302,18 @@ func (cl *Client) handleShardedReq(ctx context.Context, req kmsg.Request) ([]Res
 			reshardable = true
 		}
 
+		if debug {
+			var brokerAnys []string
+			for _, issue := range issues {
+				if issue.any {
+					brokerAnys = append(brokerAnys, "any")
+				} else {
+					brokerAnys = append(brokerAnys, fmt.Sprintf("%d", issue.broker))
+				}
+			}
+			l.Log(LogLevelDebug, "sharded request", "destinations", brokerAnys)
+		}
+
 		for i := range issues {
 			tries := try.tries
 			myIssue := issues[i]
@@ -1331,8 +1352,10 @@ func (cl *Client) handleShardedReq(ctx context.Context, req kmsg.Request) ([]Res
 					// requests where the original request is split to
 					// dedicated brokers; we do not want to re-shard that.
 					if !reshardable {
+						l.Log(LogLevelDebug, "sharded request failed, reissuing without resharding", "time_since_start", time.Since(start), "tries", try.tries, "err", err)
 						goto start
 					}
+					l.Log(LogLevelDebug, "sharded request failed, resharding and reissuing", "time_since_start", time.Since(start), "tries", try.tries, "err", err)
 					issue(reqTry{tries, myIssue.req})
 					return
 				}