Kevin Phillips says Sunderland have a player who’s been ‘awesome’ this season, ‘wow’

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Sunderland have made a great start to the 2025-26 campaign, and one player in particular has caught the eye of Kevin Phillips.

Despite no newly promoted team avoiding relegation back to the Championship in the past two seasons, the Black Cats have proven they will certainly try to change that.

Six games into this Premier League campaign, and Sunderland are fifth in the table after losing just one game, in what has been a better start than most people imagined.

While Sunderland’s success has been a team effort, one player is outshining his teammates in the eyes of club legend Phillips.

Kevin Phillips has been impressed by Robin Roefs performances for Sunderland

Sunderland adapted immediately to life in the top flight of English football, and their defensive performances have been a big factor in that.

During an appearance on talkSPORT, Phillips praised Robin Roefs for his start to the season, after he kept another clean sheet last weekend.

“The goalkeeper. Wow. He’s been awesome. Absolutely awesome. And you know, you could have probably asked questions about the Villa goal, but it came through bodies.

“But, you know, that’s just nitpicking. I think he’s been outstanding.”

Only Arsenal and Crystal Palace have conceded fewer goals than Sunderland this season, and Roefs has kept three clean sheets.

Even though he was criticised for his mistake against Aston Villa, Roefs hasn’t let it impact him as he has immediately looked to prove any doubters wrong.

Phillips isn’t the only pundit to praise Roefs, either. Troy Deeney also claimed he was “exquisite” against Nottingham Forest.

Robin Roefs had an unbelievable game against Nottingham Forest

While Roefs has had a great season so far, his performance against Nottingham Forest has seen him gain tons of plaudits.

He played a massive part in ensuring that Sunderland took all three points in a close-fought 1-0 win that saw Ange Postecoglou’s side push them to their limit.

Nottingham Forest had 22 shots during the game as they threatened Roefs, but his individual performance kept Sunderland in it.

He showcased the importance of a good goalkeeper, proving that Regis Le Bris’ decision to buy him in the summer for £9 million was right.