Manchester City’s Shaun Wright-Phillips looks to be heading out of the Eastland’s club this summer as Roberto Mancini continues to fine tune his City project.
With already various acquisitions added so far, a number of City players are more than likely to be put on the market including Shaun Wright-Phillips. The winger wants a move away from the Manchester club this summer following a dispute with his manager and club owners over an improved deal which would have matched the top players’ wages at City.
With his exit imminent, it’s shaping up to be a three-way tussle for the 28-year-olds signature this summer, with Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal all expressing their interest in the England international. With that being said, which club would represent the best move for Shaun Wright Phillips this summer?
Arsenal
Wright-Phillips could potentially do a great job for Arsenal. He has the right level of technical ability and looks to be in the mould of a future Gunner. The winger has great pace, agility and loves to utilize this by bombing down the flanks. The one thing that may hinder Wright-Phillips would be that the Gunners do acquire a lot of players in his preferred position already. Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott, Thomas Rosicky, Andrey Arshavin, Emmanuel Eboue are the main players in the Arsenal ranks that occupy the flanks. However, this is not to say Wright-Phillips can’t get ahead of them, but ideally the Englishman would want first team football week in week out. Arsene Wenger would be a perfect management figure for the winger, as the Frenchman is known to recreate and enhance players’ abilities to the max. The North London club are currently the favourites to land the 5’ 5’’ City player for an estimated £6 million fee, but wages certainly seem to be the stumbling block for the North London club. Wright-Phillips still has two years left on his £60,000-a-week deal at City, and with the Englishman wanting an improved salary of up to £90,000-a-week (as reported), Wenger may not bother unless his demands are lowered.
Suitability Rating: 8/10 - The player would make a good addition to the Arsenal squad because of the technical ability he possesses, but Wenger already acquires a lot of players like him in his squad.
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Tottenham
Spurs don’t desperately need to acquire the Englishman’s services this summer, as like Arsenal, they have a lot of options already in this specific position. However, he could make a good addition to Redknapp’s squad this season. Wright-Phillips pace and forward runs are a danger to any opposing team, and with Aaron Lennon already on the books at White Hart Lane, the possible prospect of the two on either flanks would be frightening to see. The winger also has Champions League experience under his belt from his days at Chelsea which could come in handy for Redknapp as Spurs look forward to a possible venture into Europe’s finest competition. The 28-year-old’s price tag of £6 million would not pose any sort of problem for the Champions League bound side, but Redknapp has shown concerns over the e player’s wages. To be honest Tottenham could do a lot better than Shaun Wright-Phillips. Redknapp does have sufficient funds available to utilize this summer, and should consider other options before making a hasty decision. With that being said, £6 million for Shaun Wright-Phillips would not be a gamble but a bargain for Spurs as they look to strengthen their squad for the season ahead.
Suitability Rating: 8/10 - Redknapp could attain a finer player if he in fact wants to add another winger to his squad this summer…although, the prospect of Wright-Phillips and Lennon would look very good. The City winger also has Champions League experience which would bold well for the squad this season.
Liverpool
If Wright-Phillips is looking for first-team football then Liverpool is the club to be going to right now (sorry if I offend any Red fans by stating this). I say this of course because Liverpool will need to add depth on their flanks after the recent departure of Yossi Benayoun to Chelsea last week, and Albert Reira looking to follow suit as well. If the worst happens and Torres does decide to leave Liverpool this summer, then the likelihood is that current wide-man Dirk Kuyt would be the focal point of attack for the forthcoming season, which evidently would create even more problems on the wing. Personally, Wright-Phillips would suit Liverpool and could do a great job for the famous club because of the attributes he possesses. Liverpool lack speed and Wright-Phillips could offer this to them, should Liverpool of course take their interest further than an enquiry. The City winger would almost certainly be guaranteed first-team football as Liverpool have limited options available in the position the Englishman plays in. Of course Wright-Phillips would have to deal with the fact that Liverpool will not be participating in the Champions League this season, but one thing is for sure, he will be getting games at the Merseyside club. Even if Torres does decide to stay, Roy Hodgson should still look to acquire Wright-Phillips in order to reinforce his midfield selection. Hodgson has been guaranteed a transfer budget of £12 million, which potentially could rise to £40 million with the sales of some star players during the window. Hodgson is also chasing down Villa’s Ashley Young, who maybe a better player than Wright-Phillips and of course younger, but will no doubt cost more in the market. As stated before the £6 million price tag placed on the City’s players head is a bargain, and certainly a cheaper option than Ashley Young. Again, the only thing that may divert Hodgson’s interest would be the player’s wages, but surely something could be negotiated there.
Suitability Rating: 9/10 - In my opinion Wright-Phillips should move to Liverpool this summer, simply because he will be granted regular first-team football. A good price for a good player, and one that is desperately needed if Fernando Torres leaves this summer.
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