JULIO ARCA is still adored by Sunderland fans, despite last summer's short move south to Middlesbrough, and he insists the Stadium of Light is destined for fantastic years under the new regime.

For the first time since moving to England in July 2000, and provided Boro do survive the slight threat of relegation that still hangs over them, Arca will play against Sunderland in the Premiership next season.

And that, according to the tricky Argentinean, is exactly the stage Sunderland deserve, with the 26-year-old suggesting this season is only the start of his former employers' rise to prominence.

During Arca's seven years on Wearside he experienced what it was like to suffer the ignominy of relegation from the top-flight on two occasions, as a lack of funding for world-class talent restricted the progress made under Peter Reid and latterly Mick McCarthy.

But now, although he had moved to Middlesbrough in a £1.75m deal two months before chairman Niall Quinn had attracted Roy Keane to take charge, Arca feels Sunderland are no longer destined for seasons of strife.

"It's good to see them back in the Premiership," said Arca, who still lives in the Tyne & Wear town of Washington, where support is largely divided for both Sunderland and Newcastle.

"I know how frustrated it has been for those supporters and this time it looks like Sunderland are going for it. Roy Keane has gone there and changed things around.

"With the support of Niall Quinn and the Irish consortium I hope they will have a good season next season. The atmosphere where I live has changed massively. Everyone is over the moon and all Sunderland fans are excited and that's great.

"The last time we were promoted at Sunderland two years ago we didn't have much money for new players. To be able to do that this summer is going to help them build a team capable of progressing in the Premier League.

"If their fans keep going as they are at the moment then they will be getting 48,000 every week at the Stadium of Light soon enough. They are all happy now and everyone is doing well so it's a great feeling up there."

Given the way Middlesbrough have struggled to push into the top half of the table under Gareth Southgate this season, Arca knows how difficult life can be in the Premiership - even with cash to spend.

But the former Argentinos Juniors full-back, likely to return to the Middlesbrough midfield for the trip to Wigan this afternoon, is determined to finish the campaign on a high.

A point this afternoon will guarantee Boro top-flight football in August, but the mere fact that Southgate's men are in the position is frustrating for one of the Teessiders' brightest players this term.

"Sunderland will have to sign the right players but they will have to understand that the Premiership is not the Championship either," said Arca, who was also part of the Sunderland team that went down with a record low 15 points 12 months ago.

"It's a completely different level and you can tell that from the different spells we have had this season. We did not start as well as we would have expected.

"It looked at one point as if we could have got into Europe but we got beat against teams we did not expect to. Doing well in the cup also had an effect on our league form. The best thing to do now is to finish as well as possible. But we need to do better next season."

Martin Jol is worried Tottenham's bid for European football could be undermined by their hectic end-of-season schedule.

Spurs have not played since last Saturday but face three games in the final week of the campaign, starting with the trip to Charlton on Monday.

''Most other teams have to play one, we've got to play three so it's awkward,'' said the Dutchman.

While Spurs' destiny may be in their own hands, they are ninth going into the weekend fixtures.