Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips favourite for EFL vacancy after South Shields departure

Kevin Phillips has emerged as the favourite to become the next manager of League Two side Walsall, following his surprise departure from non-league side South Shields on Saturday night.

The former Sunderland striker won the Northern Premier League Premier Division title and led South Shields into the first round of the FA Cup during a successful 15-month reign.

But in a shock announcement over the weekend, South Shields revealed they had parted ways with Phillips by mutual consent, just seven days on from the club’s title celebrations.

“I feel that this is the right time for me to depart, for a number of reasons,” he explained of his reasons for leaving South Shields.

“To be manager of South Shields has been an amazing experience and I’m very grateful for everything Geoff has done during my time at the club. I’ve given my heart and soul to this club and I’m disappointed to leave, but I’ve been in football a long time and I know things can change very quickly.

“There are lots of different factors behind this mutual decision, but I’d like to place on record my thanks to everyone connected to the club and I wish whoever comes in next all the success in the world. I was brought here to do a job and I did it, and although I’d have loved to have taken it further, circumstances have changed and I’ll be supporting the club in the next phase of its journey from afar.”

Phillips is now the odds-on favourite to take over at Walsall, who sacked manager Michael Flynn last week after a 3-0 defeat at Harrogate Town.

Walsall are 17th in League Two with little to play for in their remaining two games as they sit 12 points above the bottom two and 21 points adrift of the top seven.

Mat Sadler has been appointed until the end of the season. Phillips spent six years in the midlands with Aston Villa, West Brom and Birmingham City between 2005 and 2011.

He finished his career with Leicester City in 2014 but is best known for his time with Sunderland as he scored 130 goals in 235 games between 1997 and 2003.