Former Birmingham City, Aston Villa and West Brom man makes £100m claim

Former England striker Kevin Phillips believes he could be worth a nine figure transfer fee if he was playing today.

The 50-year-old enjoyed a 23-year playing career for various different clubs including three in the West Midlands; Aston Villa, West Brom and Birmingham City. He is most remembered for his time at Sunderland where he scored 130 goals in 235 games, with a majority coming when he inspired the Black Cats to promotion.

Phillips made the step up to the Premier League, scoring an impressive 30 goals in 36 games in his first season, and would go on to reach double figures in four other seasons in the top-flight. His goal scoring exploits were during the late 1990s and early 2000s and he has made a bold claim that he could be worth £100,000,000, making him the third most expensive English player in history behind Declan Rice and Jack Grealish.

“If I was playing now, I might be worth £100m and picking up 50 caps for England,” said Phillips.

“I feel privileged to have got eight England caps. I was in every squad for two years and I went to Euro 2000. I was competing with seven or eight class strikers in my time and playing for Sunderland. I was privileged to have got eight caps amongst the likes of Alan Shearer, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham. There is no competition for England strikers now.

“My only bitterness is that I didn’t get any minutes at Euro 2000. We got knocked out in the group stages and I remember warming up in front of Kevin Keegan as if to say ‘Get me on the pitch’. I’d just come off the back of a 30-goal season in the Premier League, but I didn’t get any minutes.”

Phillips first arrived in the Midlands in 2005, joining from Southampton for a fee of £1m. He netted on his debut and then defeated Birmingham City in the Second City Derby. His stay at the club didn't last too long however and he was moved on after one season, where he was sold to West Brom for a reported £700,000.

The eight-cap England international netted a respectable 22 goals in 43 games for the Baggies, helping them reach the play-off final where they lost to Derby County. A year later he helped fire them to the Championship title with 22 goals in 35 league games, though he opted to stay in the Championship rather than go up with them.

Phillips joined Birmingham City and his 14 goals in 36 games helped Birmingham finish second and this time, he decided to stay. He only got four goals in 19 games, and then stayed another year, helping the team win the Carabao Cup in 2011. The striker was moved on to Blackpool and later played for Crystal Palace and Leicester City, helping the Eagles win promotion to the Premier League as well.