Shaun Wright-Phillips has shared that he almost joined Arsenal, following in the footsteps of his renowned father, Ian Wright. The former England winger, who first rose to prominence at Manchester City, was a top target for both Arsenal and Chelsea when he became a sought-after player in the Premier League.
A move to Arsenal seemed likely, given his father’s legacy at Highbury, but complications arose when Arsène Wenger hesitated, causing the deal to fall through.
“There was an opportunity to join Arsenal,” Wright-Phillips told sportscasting.com. “Arsenal were the first movers in terms of when I first left City. The only reason it didn’t happen is because Arsène Wenger wanted to wait until January, and I think City needed it to happen right away, because it wasn’t something that me or my agent at that time forced. It was something that the club had to make happen in terms of they would have gone into administration if they didn’t sell me. So, if Arsène Wenger had just said ‘Okay, we will take him now,’ I most probably would have played for Arsène rather than José Mourinho at Chelsea.”
Wright-Phillips went on to explain how his father, an Arsenal icon, was eager for the transfer to happen, but also raised him to be pragmatic about such decisions. “My dad (Arsenal legend Ian Wright) was always excited, but he just wanted it done. He’s just always brought me up in football with the mindset that you always strike while the iron’s hot because you could go on a pitch the next week and break your ankle. When we were going to Chelsea, when we were walking down to Stamford Bridge, he was mad excited. And he was like, ‘What’s wrong with you? Somebody stole your wallet or something?’ I replied: ‘I’m just a lot more chilled than you are.’ Arsenal was a sliding doors moment for me.”
As a former winger himself, Wright-Phillips was asked about the current top wingers in the Premier League and praised Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka for his consistency and quality.
He said, “I would say in terms of wingers, he’s probably in the top five wingers that’s ever played in the Premier League in terms of what they’re putting out there on the pitch, game after game after game. He’s probably one of the least rested Arsenal players, and people always want to see players do well consistently, that’s what he does season after season. That’s what everybody wants to see. He can play badly, but he can still score you a goal or create you a chance. Whereas some wingers can play badly and won’t affect the game. So, we can say, ‘Saka had a quiet game. Oh yeah, it wasn’t his greatest game, but he still got an assist and scored a goal.’”
