Sunderland AFC news: Cats called 'a huge club' as Kevin Phillips drops transfer hint ahead of January window

The transfer window is set to re-open on January 1 and Sunderland are expected to be busy with the Black Cats having suffered several injuries already this term.

“It’s clear [Bailey] Wright, [Tom] Flanagan and [Callum] Doyle are their three strongest centre-halves,” Phillips told Football Insider.

“There is a good balance between them. They have experience and youth there. They allow the wing-backs to push forward because they are decent at covering.

“Behind them there is not a great amount of options though. I think Lee Johnson might look to bring someone in who can play in that position in January.

“Somebody like a Luke O’Nien who can play there as well as other positions. That is perhaps the type of player they will be looking at.”

Mikel Arteta delivers Sunderland verdict

Sunderland and Arsenal face off in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup tonight.

The game from the Emirates Stadium will be shown live on Sky Sports, with around 5,200 travelling Sunderland fans in attendance.

Sunderland have beaten Championship opposition in Blackpool and QPR but now face the mammoth task of beating Arsenal of the Premier League.

Speaking ahead of the game, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said: “They’re a huge club with a big, big history, it’s a Premier League club, you see the fanbase, the structure that they have around it and the history of the club.

“It will be a difficult night and their manager has a history of making life very difficult for Premier League clubs in this competition and we have to be ready.

“I already watched three of their games and they’re the highest possession team in the league, it’s the team that has a lot of resources with the ball to generate attacking situations and if you give them the right time to do so, they will create problems because they have good players to do so.

"They are consistently winning in the league, so they have the habit of winning and competing to win, so I am expecting them to come here with no fear and try to have a good go at us.”

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