Kevin Phillips: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised’ if Sunderland sacked Johnson after update
Kevin Phillips “would not be surprised” if Sunderland manager Lee Johnson was dismissed this summer.
However, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the Stadium of Light legend urged the club’s owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus to stick with the 39-year-old and back him in the transfer market.
The Black Cats missed out on promotion last weekend after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Lincoln City in the play-off semi-final.
Football Insider revealed earlier this week that Johnson’s position at the Stadium of Light was hanging by a thread.
Speaking to talkSPORT since, Louis-Dreyfus appears to have given the ex-Bristol City manager his full backing by claiming he is the “right man” to lead the club to promotion next season.
When asked by Football Insider if Johnson was the right man to take the club forward, Phillips said: “It is a very difficult one to answer.
“Straight after the game I would have said Lee Johnson is not the right person to take the club forward, like a typical supporter.
“I saw the videos of the crowd surrounding him outside the stadium and that is just an immediate reaction to the disappointment.
“Now the dust has settled you think who is going to come in and do something better? They have tried so many different managers so why pull the trigger again?
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he did go given that the club is under new ownership.
“I fully back Lee Johnson to be in charge next season though, if they keep hold of him. I just hope they give him money to spend. He is going to need to bring a few players in, it is going to be a big summer.”
In other news, Ipswich Town prepare lucrative offer for Sunderland star.