Hammers to land £9.8m
SWP
WEST HAM believe they have landed Shaun Wright-Phillips in a
£9.8million deal. The Upton Park club have agreed the fee with
Chelsea.
SunSport can reveal Hammers chief Alan Curbishley is confident of
signing Wright-Phillips and is just awaiting permission to finalise
the players personal terms.
West Hams new owner Eggert Magnusson and Chelsea have ironed out
the transfer. But Blues boss Jose Mourinho has yet to give his
permission for the sale. He is wary of losing another player when
Joe Cole could miss the rest of the season through injury and Dutch
star Arjen Robben is out with a muscle tear.
Mourinho wants to bring in a top-quality replacement before saying
Yes to Wright-Phillips going. Portos Portuguese winger Ricardo
Quaresma is a Mourinho target. But he is ineligible to play in the
Champions League, as he is cup-tied.
West Ham are desperate to add the flying Wright-Phillips to their
struggling squad in a bid to stave off relegation. Maugnusson
believes investing such a huge sum would be a clear sign of the
clubs faith in Curbishley, despite Mondays six-goal thrashing at
Reading.
Wright-Phillips, keen to remain in London, has another option if
the Hammers move breaks down. Newcastle have made a late attempt to
scupper it by trying to get the player on loan.
The Geordies would be happy to take him for six months while he
weighs up his options and, in the meantime, allow him the chance to
prove his worth as a Premiership player.
