While it is sad to see such a quality player leave, it is clear from his parting comments that all was not well behind the scenes: "I'm glad I was able to get away from Southampton, I never really felt happy about joining them. "It was a move that never really felt right for me and I'm glad I can resurrect my Premiership career."
While Sunderland needed to sell, it does beg the question of why he joined in the first place and his agent’s recent claim that Phillips loves the Saints certainly rings hollow. He also added that his partnership with James Beattie ‘never really got going’, perhaps through a battle of egos that has seen both move on.
Now Phillips has gone, the priority is on ensuring that no more key players leave, as they will be nearly impossible to replace by a side in the Championship. With the squad largely trimmed after ten departures, Saints fans will be hoping for Harry to pull something special out of the bag with the kind of inspiring signing that Super Kev once was.