Niall Quinn has already made inroads into bringing in four new players to the club as he looks to build a squad capable of immediate promotion back to the Premiership…
Robbie Elliot
Yesterday he revealed that his priority was to sign a left full back, with Julio Arca’s move to Boro and George McCartney’s latest injury, and is believed to be looking at ex-Newcastle defender Robbie Elliot to provide cover for Sunderland’s current problem position.
Steve Harper
Another Newcastle player, Steve Harper, is also said to be attracting the interest of Quinn, however it is unlikely it is he who fits the bill of someone who ‘people will mention in the same breath as Jim Montgomerie’, the bold statement Quinn made to the Irish Independant today.
Fabrice Muamba
Quinn has also made a bid to take Arsenal youngster Fabrice Muamba on loan for the season. The England under-18 international has played just two games for Arsenal but comes highly rated and is said to be in the same mould as Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. What his signing would mean for the likes of Christian Bassilla and Tommy Miller however is unknown.
Kevin Phillips
However Quinn’s most significant transfer target is the mooted return of goalscoring hero Kevin Phillips. Quinn has admitted that he has already enquired about bringing the striker, who scored 130 goals on Wearside during a six-year spell, back to boost the chances of promotion, however nothing will be sorted until a new manager is in place at Aston Villa,
‘I made an enquiry about Kevin but then the Aston Villa situation blew up in the air and all bets were off,’ Quinn told The Journal, ‘it is something we might revisit once the new manager gets in there because he might come in and want to change things around.’
Only one day into his tenure as Sunderland boss and Quinn finds himself a busy man. Arca has gone and it is up to him to bring in another player the fans can be excited about. Even at 33-years old, Phillips would certainly be this man.
