Hammers to land £9.8m SWPWEST 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 playerÂ’s personal terms.
West HamÂ’s 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. Porto’s 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 clubÂ’s faith in Curbishley, despite MondayÂ’s 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.