The deal to take Richard Wright to Arsenal is still not complete this morning with his agent, Jonathan Barnett, saying that terms are still to be agreed and medical to be completed. He added that the deal may take a few weeks to be completed.
Barnett was speaking in a rather stormy interview with TalkSport this morning in which he took his usual line 'it's business' line and was accused of not caring about fans. He asked the interviewer whether fans would "look after" Richard Wright when he was into his thirties, as he did during last year's contract speculation. He added that Wright had played for Town "since he was a boy" and that joining Arsenal "is his dream. Would you stand in the way of someone's dream?"
He added that Wright had been loyal to Town throughout his six-year spell as a first team player at Portman Road.
George Burley meanwhile has said that losing Richard Wright is a disappointment: "It will be a big blow if we lose Richard. The only way we could persuade him to sign his latest extended contract was to agree a clause that would let him talk to Arsenal should we receive a substantial offer from them. That is the reality of the matter. I would love Richard to stay at the club, but he is ambitious and has said he wanted to speak with Arsenal. There is nothing we could do about it. If he goes it will be a huge loss, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. We have done everything we could to keep him with us as long as possible. I gave him his debut as a 17-year-old and it will be particularly sad for me to see him go."
The fee is widely being quoted as £6 million this morning, though whether this is correct or not, and whether there are other 'extras' on the fee we're unsure. The new short-lived contract has meant that whatever the outcome Town had guaranteed that Wright wouldn't go on a Bosman next year. From January he could have agreed to join another club on a free transfer. Although Arsenal would have to have paid some compensation to Town, likely to be much lower than the fee being received now, being under 24 Wright could have gone to a foreign side for nothing, as Pablo Couñago did when he joined Town.
Attentions turn to who will replace Wright between the Town sticks. It is being reported locally that Town are not interested in bringing in Arsenal second choice Alex Manninger as has been widely speculated for more than a year. With Keith Branagan rated highly at Portman Road it might be that a player is brought in to be his back-up before mving to become first choice. If Norwich's Andy Marshall is the target, as has been rumoured several times throughout the summer, this would be the most likely scenario. Town clearly know Marshall very well with Goalkeeping Coach Malcolm Webster having worked with him for several years.