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Kevin Phillips puts aside rivalry to praise Wolverhampton Wanderers

Fans of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrate with Nuno Espirito Santo the head coach (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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Phillips played for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ local rivals Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City.

Kevin Phillips assistant head coach

Kevin Phillips has put aside his allegiance to Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City to praise Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Wolves have risen from the third tier of English football to seventh in the Premier League – with an FA Cup semi-final still to come – in the space of five years.

On Thursday, the Molineux side announced the club-record signing of their on-loan Benfica striker, Raul Jimenez, at a rumoured cost of around £30 million.

But speaking to Talksport on Thursday, the former Aston Villa, West Brom and Birmingham striker Phillips suggested that Jimenez’s acquisition is just the tip of the iceberg for Wolves.

Raul Jimenez of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 0-1 during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on...

“I only live 25 minutes from Wolverhampton, so I’ve covered them a lot and I’ve watched them a lot, and I’ve seen them grow,” he said. “Bringing in Jimenez is just another piece of the jigsaw. Speaking to people within the club, they’ve got plans for the stadium. As you come out of the tunnel at Molineux, opposite (that) they’re going to knock that down at some stage and take stadium all round. So it’s going to be a fantastic place to play football.

“The support is there, the infrastructure, the training ground – which I’ve spent many hours at because my lad was at the academy there – it’s a great place.

“And credit to them and the owners, they’ve got a lot of money there but they’re spending it wisely. They’re not bringing in quantity, they’re bringing in quality and that makes a big difference.”

Wolves players celebrate their goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on March 10, 2019 in London, United Kingdom.

At least two of Phillips’ old clubs, Aston Villa and West Brom, are in with a decent shout of joining Wolves in next season’s Premier League.

However, whether either of the pair can emulate Wolves’ success should if they too gain promotion remains to be seen.

Are Wolves en route to being the West Midlands’ new powerhouse?