Kevin Phillips delivers worrying Sunderland transfer claim: ‘Headache’
Sunderland have secured promotion back to the Premier League, but former striker Kevin Phillips has warned that there are difficult times ahead for the Black Cats.
Tommy Watson, who is joining Brighton, scored a 95th-minute winner as the Mackems beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the play-off final at Wembley.
Tyrece Campbell gave the Blades a first-half lead, with Eliezer Mayenda levelling the scores fifteen minutes from time, before Watson dealt the killer blow.
The result means that Sunderland will join Leeds and Burnley in the top flight next season, after both sides were promoted automatically.
Sunderland set to struggle
In the last two seasons, all three teams that have been promoted to the Premier League have been relegated back down immediately.
To make matters worse for Sunderland, Jobe Bellingham is expected to leave, potentially following in his older brother’s footsteps and joining Borussia Dortmund.
Speaking live on talkSPORT, former Black Cats striker Phillips warned that Regis Le Bris’ side will need additions to survive, saying: “I think if this team went into the Premier League, and this is no disrespect to them, they’d really struggle.
“You’d love to give them an opportunity, but there’s such a big gulf between the Premier League and the Championship.
“It’s a good problem to have the £210million that they’re going to get, but they have to invest it wisely. They need to bring in four or five to strengthen that squad.
“It’s a great headache to have.”
Sunderland up against it
Football Insider Verdict
In the final Championship table, Sunderland finished a staggering 24 points behind both Leeds and Burnley, and were even 14 points off the side they beat in the play-off final, Sheffield United.
| Position | Team | Games | Points |
| 1 | Leeds (P) | 46 | 100 |
| 2 | Burnley (P) | 46 | 100 |
| 3 | Sheffield United | 46 | 90 |
| 4 | Sunderland (P) | 46 | 76 |
That is quite a gap to close to the other promoted sides, and even if they finished above those two, it would probably still see the Black Cats relegated back down to the second tier.
Enzo Le Fee will be with Sunderland for their top-flight journey, after the play-off final win triggered a permanent option in the midfielder’s loan deal from Roma.
However, with Leeds set to give Daniel Farke over £100m to splash over the summer, the Mackems will need to add more to their squad to keep up with the pace in the top flight.
The one thing in their favour is the fact that the Stadium of Light will be rocking for every single game, so if Sunderland can capitalise on that advantage and maintain strong home form throughout the season, they have a chance of surviving.