January is just around the corner and that means the start of the transfer window. It is no secret that Roy Hodgson has to spend in the window to bolster the squad and the new owners are going to back him. To what extent we do not know. It would be silly of us to publicize how much we plan to spend as other clubs would then inflate the prices of their players. Hodgson has made it clear that he is after a striker and a defender. A striker has to be the number one priority right now as we need a back up or two for Torres and Ngog. But how about a winger?
We do not have natural width at all in our current setup. We have Kuyt, Maxi, Meireles, Cole and Babel who are filling in the wide positions in our midfield but none of them are out and out wingers. I am not saying that Hodgson needs to change the way the team is currently playing but it is always nice to have a winger in the team who can come in and unlock a team using pure pace and skill. We have been crying out for such a winger for many season now and we have not had one.
Looking at what is available on the market, the first name that comes to my mind is Shaun Wright-Phillips. He is having a torrid time at Manchester City right now as he can hardly get a game in. He is still an England international which means he is not that bad a player and for him to remain in the England setup, he needs to be playing more games which he is not currently getting at City. The fact that he is English will bode well for us with the new quotas coming in.
The question will then be, will Manchester City be willing to sell him and for how much? If Manchester City want in the region of £7m then I think we should go for it. Better yet, if they are willing to send him out to us on loan then we can see how he does for the rest of the season and reassess in the summer.
It would be nice to have a player again who can hug the touchline and get chalk on his boots whilst beating opposing defenders with pace and trickery. It would just add an extra dimension to our side. The last player I recall doing this for us was Steve McManaman and how long ago was that?
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Why would we want him? He’s 29, and a right winger. Glen Johnson can easily play that role if necesary, especially with Martin Kelly breaking into the squad. We need a top striker and a left back as priorities, and another defensive mid if funds allow. We don’t have the money to waste on older players.
I agree with you Phil. SWP is just too old and with the new policy of the new owners i doubt they would waste money on him unless he comes for a knock down fee and he does not demand high wages. Not a bad option if we can get him on the cheap or loan. But we do need a proper winger i think
the only positive is that the purchase of SWP usually pre-empts a massive influx of talent to make him redundant…