Exclusive:'Tough' - Kevin Phillips reacts as Sunderland touted for £25m Celtic transfer raid
Sunderland have been linked with Celtic midfielder Arne Engels in recent days.
Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips has argued that it could be “tough” for Celtic star Arne Engels to make his mark at the Stadium of Light amid ongoing transfer speculation.
The midfielder has emerged as a reported target for the Black Cats in recent days, with Sky Sports stating that Nottingham Forest and Fulham are also keen on luring him to the Premier League this summer. But speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of BestBettingSites, Phillips has suggested that, based on the quality of talent that Sunderland already boast in the middle of the park, the £25 million-rated Belgian might struggle to establish himself as a regular on Wearside.
He said: “Yeah, I think it’s going to be tough coming from where he’s been playing - of course, a big club - down to the Premier League into a team that’s had an incredible season. And when you look in that midfield area, is he going to push [Noah] Sadiki out? Is he going to push [Granit] Xhaka out, [Lutsharel] Geertruida? They’ve got some real good options in there.
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“But I think it is an area that Sunderland do need another. And he’s certainly got qualities. Technically, a good player. And that’s what Sunderland like to do, play with the ball; they keep possession. So he’d certainly suit that. It’s just whether he’s going to go up against more quality in the Premier League - and the biggest one for me is whether he’s going to be able to push those players out that I just spoke about.”