Sunderland robbed Watford for six-figure bargain that would be worth millions in 2024: View | OneFootball

Sunderland signed Kevin Phillips from Watford for pittance in 1997, and the striker went on to become a Black Cats legend.

Striking a bargain like this one is almost as difficult as finding a bottle of olive oil for less than a fiver in the supermarket.

When Sunderland signed Kevin Phillips from Watford in 1997, neither side could have anticipated the legacy that the Englishman would leave in his wake.

What is staggering is the fee which the Black Cats paid for one of their all-time greats.

At £325,000 rising to £600,000, the deal to bring Phillips to the Stadium of Light might have to go down as the club's greatest signing in history. Furthermore, one must wonder how much the goalscorer would be worth in the curent market.

Sunderland's £325,000 deal for Watford's Kevin Phillips was daylight robbery

When Sunderland signed Phillips from Watford, he was already a prolific forward. Having made 59 appearances for the Hornets, the striker scored 24 goals across the First and Second Divisions.

Having been relegated from the Premier League the season before, the Black Cats were keen to bolster their faltering front line, having scored the third-lowest number of goals in the division.

At 22 years of age, Sunderland clearly saw the potential in the young Englishman and signed the striker for an initial £325,000. Looking back at the fee now, Watford must be tearing their hair out considering what he went on to achieve.

Kevin Phillips went on to become a Sunderland legend

After signing for the Wearsiders, Phillips wasted no time in paving his way to becoming a Sunderland legend. During his first season, the striker hit the ground running with a goal on his league debut against Manchester City, before scoring a further 28 league goals.

In the First Division, Phillips scored goals with ease and when the ball wound up at his feet, there was only ever one outcome. The following season, the striker scored 23 goals in 26 games, taking his tally over two seasons to 54 goals in 69 matches.

When the Black Cats reached the Premier League, many questioned whether the former Watford man could replicate his prolific form on the biggest stage. Little did they know, the striker was going to set a tally that has only since been matched by Harry Kane.

During his maiden season in the top flight, Phillips bagged 30 goals for the Wearsiders and claimed the Golden Boot award as well as the European Golden Shoe award.

Since Phillips' feat in the 1999/2000 season, Kane is the only English player to have scored 30 goals in a single season, having matched the tally in the 2017/18 and 2022/23 seasons. Furthermore, Kane is the only Englishman to win the European Golden Shoe since Phillips, scoring 36 goals in Bayern Munich's 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign.

Phillips went on to bag a further 31 goals for the club before leaving the club for Southampton when the Black Cats were relegated in 2003. Despite his departure, Phillips was considered a modern day legend at Sunderland, and it must be noted that players of his ilk are a rare commodity.

Not only did he score goals, but he epitomized the way Sunderland played and his partnership with Niall Quinn must go down as the greatest Black Cats partnership of modern times.

Kevin Phillips would be worth a fortune in the current market

If Phillips were playing in today's era, then he would surely be worth an astronomical amount of money.

When it comes to goal-scoring strikers, they cost a pretty penny, or maybe a couple of bottles of olive oil. When they are English, then their price becomes increasingly unfathomable.

While Phillips never had the international pedigree of others, he was devastating at club level. Given that Kane was sold to Bayern for a reported £100m at age 30, it begs the question of how much Phillips would have cost.

Although it will never be known what price clubs would have paid for the forward, it is safe to say he would not have come cheap.

When Sunderland signed Phillips from Watford he was already a goalscorer, but nobody could have predicted he would leave such a legacy at the Stadium of Light.

Phillips became a Sunderland legend during his time at the club and no player has been able to replicate his heroics in front of goal.

If the striker had been around in today's market, then he would have to be worth close to the £100m Bayern paid for Kane in 2023.