Could a loan deal for Shaun Wright-Phillips be on the cards?
Posted on May 19th, 2010 | 149 Comments |
Certain other sites have mentioned that the winger could be snapped up on a free transfer as his contract expires, which is poorly researched and incorrect as he still has two years to run on his current contract. Quite possibly it could be a misunderstanding with regards to some recent contract negotiations that have broken down between the player and Manchester City regarding a pay rise for the player. At nearly 29 years old, and with the vast swathes of cash available for new signings at Man City, Wright-Phillips has found himself falling down the pecking order for starting positions at Eastlands, so could a loan deal suit us, the player, and his club? Let’s look first from our perspective.
We know that vast amounts of cash aren’t going to be made available to us, although there is still some money to strengthen the squad. So as it appears that we are now facing the battle for financial control at the club, it leaves our options somewhat limited on our return to the Premier League. On one hand, we need the players who are capable of improving the team and helping us to survive, whilst on the other hand, those players come with a price that would probably blow most of our budget in one hit. A loan deal for the season would allow us to gain a quality player for a minimal outlay whilst paying only a proportion of the wages. That’s a plus from the perspective of the club, so how about the player?
Well we know Manchester City will be strengthening in the summer, and meaning no disrespect to Wright-Phillips, will be able to attract the next level of players if you will. His first team appearances have been somewhat limited already, and that situation can only get worse as they add more quality to the team to challenge for the Champions League places again. Wright-Phillips will need first team football if he is to retain his England place beyond the World Cup, something he will no doubt be keen to do, and that is what we can offer him week in and week out. Not to mention he would have access to training facilities that equal those at Manchester City, so they needn’t worry about the player falling into disrepair if he was ever to temporarily move North. All that should be another plus, but how can in benefit Manchester City?
Well, as mentioned previously, Wright-Phillips has been on the edge of first team football this season rather than in the thick of it. Undoubtedly this will make the player unhappy over the longer term as players want to play football. If he joined us on loan it would take a potential problem with squad harmony straight out of the mix for them. Add to that the new Premier League home grown rule which comes into force at the start of the season, something that Manchester City, and all teams in fact, will have to be very wary of. If they loaned the player to us it would mean that they still own the registration for the player, and that means he would still count in their home grown quota. That would leave them free to get whatever signing they want from overseas whilst still reaping the benefit of Wright-Phillips’ home grown status. A way of bending the rules, and for them to benefit from it, should make it a thumbs up from them.
Of course this can be applied to any player at any club who will be looking for first team games, and a deal for Wright-Phillips has only ever really been mentioned in the gossip rags. But the more I look into it, the more it makes sense, for all parties.
NUFCBlog Author: toonsy
toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.
NO chance