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Talking Shaun Wright-Phillips with Merlin

With Shaun Wright-Phillips being heavily linked with a move away from Chelski, with Pompey a possible destination I thought I would asked Merlin from Vital Chelsea a few questions on the mater - this is what was said...

Wright-Phillips is being 'rumoured' with a move away from Chelski, his old man says that he should go! Do you think he will leave and if so what are your thoughts on this?
I believe he will go this time. After so many rumours last summer I don't think Shaun made the progress he should have done this season. Whether the change of manager will play any part in his final decision I'm not sure but strangely enough, Shaun's best part of last season was when we lacked central midfield cover. Essien and Mikel were at the African Cup of Nations and Shaun slipped into central midfield for a month and played really well. As for my thoughts, it's been a frustrating experience watching Shaun, he can be very good but he can be very bad, especially when his confidence is low. Perhaps, a change of scenery will kick-start his career, especially if Uncle Harry puts a kindly arm around him.

What do you realistically think he will cost whoever gets him - if he goes?
Don't forget we paid circa £21 million for him so we'd be looking for a fair return. Mind you I doubt if anyone out there would match what we paid for him on performances in a Chelsea shirt. I'd say approximately £9 million would see him sold.

Do you think Pompey could be the club to get him, if not who will?
You stand as good a chance as anyone, you're on the up and up after your FA Cup success and with a place in Europe, it could entice Shaun. However, Aston Villa are also rumoured to be keen as were Spurs, but if I had a choice I'd have no problems with Shaun wearing a Pompey shirt.

Whilst we are talking, what are you expectations for Chelski this season?
Chelsea please! Show some respect :-) Ideally we'd win the Champions League in Rome in May 2008 but as an old school Chelsea boy who can remember ourselves being involved in a Division One promotion race, I'll take anything that comes our way! Good luck to you lot for the new season though!

Thanks to Merlin for answering these.

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Writer: pompeyrug

Date:Saturday July 5 2008

Time: 9:36AM

Your Comments

Merlin.. as always an honest and fair response from you (cheers fella) I think SWP could have been given more of a chance at Chelsea (see... respect !) to show what he was really capable of but it just didn't happen often enough for him. If/when he leaves I'm convinced the club he joins will see a return to the form that warranted the £21m Roman paid for him... I would just love that to be pompey... Imagine .. Diarra cuts inside and passes to Johnson...Johnson crosses..., Sahar knocks it down and after running 40 yards ...SWP fires it home to send Chelsea on their way to their first home defeat since David Webb was a boy.. Get in ;)

Chix

Old boys do come back to haunt you. Fingers crossed. Thanks merlin for your respected views. We look forward to the game at the Bridge which is conveniently sandwiched with 2 games against manure, which I trust all of Chelsea will want us to win!

storagematt

Thanks Merlin good honest stuff - nice to comment on your articles after your kind comments on some of mine. SWP at FP maybe just maybe.

eastneydave

thats true, storagematt, old boys might haunt us next season too. you'll be a team to fear, not that you arent a good team now but still, the chelsea ex-boys brring a huge amount of quality to your squad. as for swp, he'll do well under harry.

chelseaforever

swp to blackburn....

kendog

Would be a top, top signing! It would make my summer if we got him...

pfcadz

good luck in the Community Shield lads - do em for us - please!

merlin

Well done Merlin, nice to see you are still grounded, anyone that remembers struggling in the old div2 is alright be me!

paultsmouth

Seems like a player with a lot of baggage to me - look at Bradley down the road. He did look special at Man City, though. Crouch could put Defoe and Wright-Philips on his shoulders and you wouldn't be able to see them

Pompeyscum

Great signing for us if we can get him. If he's playing week in, week out, he'd be the Mutt's Nuts!

NinjaTim

I think a new club, a new manager and a new team is exactly what is needed to kick-start his career. And I say good luck to him. He's never once come out in the press and complained about a lack of chances at the club. Respect to him for that!

daspecial1

we have crouchy - just about - time to make the big push to get SWP too! he would be a fantastic signing and create plenty of chances for people, and score goals too.
for his sake a move is needed, and why not to fratton?

pompeyrug

Yep like the look of the signings so far (trhats if we get crouch and SWP) for me we then still need another striker or great MF of the crunchie mould (for cover) and then we need to revisit our central defense for the longer term

WalshWasGod

i think harry will have a lot of work to do with our Sean, a chippy dad who interferes; not to mention the traditional SWP blisteringly quick 15 step overs only for the frustrated strikers watching the ball go over the dead ball line. But if anyone change him it'll be Harry, so yes but dont break the bank, we still need defensive cover

russellm

SWP - yes please, and good to see that a Chelsea fan can see it as a good move for a futrue England player to move on and play some games.

sneakay

Good point Sneakay... Russ.. agree with you that SWP might need some retraining.. but as you say if anybody can get a meesage through to a player it's 'arry.. bit it on I say

Chix

If you sign Crouch I think SWP would certainly provide the ammunition for Crouch. Also the pace of Defoe and SWP would scare a lot of defences.

dazza71

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