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Shaun Wright-Phillips
Waiting: Shaun Wright-Phillips

Tour of duty leaves Wright-Phillips in limbo

Simon Johnson, Football Correspondent
25 Jul 2008


Shaun Wright-Phillips may have to wait until the end of Chelsea's pre-season tour before being able to resolve his future.

As revealed by Standard Sport in May, Wright-Phillips wants to leave Stamford Bridge in order to get regular first-team football and Portsmouth are poised to make a bid.

The England winger has already set his sights on moving to Fratton Park and Portsmouth now have the money to meet Chelsea's £10million valuation now that Sulley Muntari is set to join Inter Milan for £12.7m.

But it is understood Chelsea don't expect any progress on the deal until after the club's final game of the tour in Moscow on 3 August.

Wright-Phillips, who joined from Manchester City for £21m in 2005, has just two years left on his deal and has only been used as a squad player in his time at Stamford Bridge. While Wright-Phillips waits for his future to be resolved, Salomon Kalou today revealed his frustrations with Avram Grant, blaming him for the club's failure to win a trophy last season.

Grant took over from Jose Mourinho in September and Chelsea went on to finish runners-up to Manchester United in the Premier and Champions League, were beaten by Tottenham in the Carling Cup final and knocked out of the FA Cup by Barnsley.

The Israeli's brief was to improve the style of play at Stamford Bridge as well as win silverware, but Kalou believes that will only happen now that Luiz Felipe Scolari has replaced him.

He said: "Grant didn't really change anything, but you can see from the players Scolari's taken and the way we played in his first game that things are going to be different. We were too cautious last season. There were some games when we were waiting and waiting and didn't take our chances. It was more about team-work, being defensive, not conceding goals and trying to score one, but this year it will be different.

"The manager wants to play an attacking game which is exciting. The difference this season is that every player will try to attack."

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