Mike's Blog

How the BBC reported the move.

It's such a shame. For the past two seasons, Shaun Wright-Phillips has been one of the most exciting players in the Premiership. At times, SWP carried a mediocre Manchester City team almost single-handedly, and was set up to become one of the country's best players for years to come.

Inevitably, the 'big clubs' coveted such a player, and at some point he was surely going to move on. City needed the cash (£60m+ in debt, don't own their own stadium) and the player is attracted to the prospect of more money, European football, and realistic chances of winning trophies. So he goes to Chelsea.

Chelsea, the great cultivator of players, who have bought brilliant players such as Crespo, Veron, Geremi and Parker in the last two years, and wasted them. Parker takes almost exactly the same role as SWP, that of a frighteningly good prospect who wanted to further his career. Problem was, he never played.

Next season, Chelsea are going to have a ridiculously strong midfield to choose from. Pick any four from Lampard, Robben, Cole, Makelele, Wright-Phillips, Tiago, Duff, Geremi, Jarosik, and seemingly also Essien. I fail to see where they're going to fit Essien in, let alone Wright-Phillips.

For England's sake in the upcoming World Cup - surely our most realistic chance of winning it since 1998, and the last World Cup in Europe until at least 2014 - I hope SWP gets enough games to prove that he is worthy to dethrone Beckham of his right midfield spot. I'd put a small amount of money though on his getting no more than twenty league games next season, minimal involvement in the Champions League, and his leaving Chelsea for a smaller 'big club' - an Everton, Villa, or Newcastle - within eighteen months.

When the alternative was to join Arsène Wenger at Arsenal, whose squad has evolved during his tenure, and would surely have made SWP one of the team's key players, this could go down as one of the Worst Moves Ever. On va voir.