Sunderland’s return to the Premier League under Regis Le Bris has sent supporters back through the record books. With the Black Cats now well into their first season back in the top flight, interest in Sunderland Premier League players with the best scoring record has picked up again. This update, published in October 2026, brings that picture up to date.
The names at the top of the list have not changed. Kevin Phillips, Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent, Niall Quinn and Kenwyne Jones still hold the five best scoring records in Sunderland’s Premier League history, built across different eras of the club. This piece updates our original goalscoring ranking and runs through each man’s numbers, along with the quotes that explain what the club meant to them.
Kevin Phillips: The undisputed Premier League king
Kevin Phillips sits clear at the top of Sunderland’s all-time Premier League scoring list, with 61 goals in 139 appearances. No one else at the club has come close to that return at this level. His strike rate across six seasons on Wearside remains the benchmark for every forward who has followed him.
Phillips has never hidden his affection for the club that made him. “The club I’m sure most football fans associate me with is Sunderland. That was where I made my name and I’ve still got huge affection for that football club… The six years I had up there were awesome,” he said.
Jermain Defoe: A lethal finisher in red and white
Jermain Defoe ranks second on the list, with 34 Premier League goals in just 87 appearances for Sunderland. That ratio, close to one goal every two and a half games, shows how clinical he was during his spell at the Stadium of Light.
Harry Redknapp, who worked closely with Defoe, rated him among the best finishers he had seen. “He is certainly up there with the best. Rooney is the best front man, but Defoe is a terrific finisher,” Redknapp said.
Darren Bent: The high-impact goal machine
Darren Bent needed fewer games than anyone else in this top five to make his mark. He scored 32 Premier League goals in only 58 appearances for Sunderland, comfortably the best goals per game rate on this list.
Bent has credited his strike partner for helping him reach that form. “I played a lot with Kenwyne Jones and I felt he brought the best out of me,” he said.
Niall Quinn: The iconic frontline leader
Niall Quinn scored 29 Premier League goals in 129 appearances for Sunderland, a return built over a longer stretch of service than most of the names above him. His goals came alongside a leadership role on and off the pitch, and he later returned to the club as chairman.
His connection to Sunderland went beyond the goals he scored. “I learned my trade at Arsenal, became a footballer at Manchester City, but Sunderland got under my skin. I love Sunderland,” he said.
Kenwyne Jones: Completing the elite top five
Kenwyne Jones completes the top five with 26 Premier League goals in 94 appearances for Sunderland. His physical presence up front, and the partnership he struck up with Bent in particular, helped both players produce their best form at the same time.
Sunderland Premier League players leading the all-time scoring charts
The Sunderland Premier League players with the most goals in the competition are Kevin Phillips, Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent, Niall Quinn and Kenwyne Jones. Phillips leads the way with 61 goals from 139 games, ahead of Defoe’s 34 from 87, Bent’s 32 from 58, Quinn’s 29 from 129 and Jones’s 26 from 94.
| Player | Premier League goals | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Phillips | 61 | 139 |
| Jermain Defoe | 34 | 87 |
| Darren Bent | 32 | 58 |
| Niall Quinn | 29 | 129 |
| Kenwyne Jones | 26 | 94 |
Looking at appearances alongside goals shows how differently each man built his tally. Bent and Defoe did it in short, prolific spells, while Phillips and Quinn spread their goals across much longer careers at the club. For the fuller picture of who has worn the shirt most often in the top flight, our list of Sunderland’s all-time Premier League appearance makers sits alongside this one.
What happens next
Regis Le Bris is now managing a Sunderland squad back in the Premier League, and every current forward will be measured against the standard this top five set. No one in the current squad is close to troubling this list yet, and nothing in the club’s history suggests that will change quickly.
Supporters have already seen Le Bris’s willingness to change things up: Le Bris prepares squad rotation before matches like the recent game against Hull City. For now, Phillips, Defoe, Bent, Quinn and Jones remain the five names supporters measure every Sunderland striker against.
