On this day: Pompey look to land Chelsea and England winger

The Pompey boss told The News of his admiration for Chelsea’s £10m-rated winger on May 30, 2008.

And Redknapp confessed he was just the type of player he was looking to bring to Fratton Park that summer.

He was keen to find a traditional attacking wideman to boost his options in right-midfield.

But the Blues manager felt such players were a dying breed, with Wright-Phillips one of the few who fit the bill.

The England international found chances at Stamford Bridge increasingly difficult to come by since his whopping £21m move from Manchester City in 2005.

That hampered his international prospects, with the speedster failing to feature in the two previous Three Lions squads.

Redknapp, though, could offer evidence of his ability to resurrect players’ international hopes, with Glen Johnson, David James and Jermain Defoe all featuring in the win over the USA.

With the likes to Joe Cole, Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou and Nicolas Anelka to compete against at Chelsea, that could have made a switch tempting for Wright-Phillips.

Redknapp said: ‘I haven’t spoke to anyone at Chelsea. But I like Shaun. He’s a terrific talent.

‘I wouldn’t know how much Chelsea wanted for him, though, if they were going to sell.

‘Maybe they would want to wait until a new manager comes in.

‘But equally they may not need a new manager to come in before they sell someone.

'I wouldn’t know how Chelsea run their affairs.

‘The player may want to wait until a new manager comes in and have a look at things then.

‘But maybe he would look at his situation there and think he wanted to leave.

‘Of course he’s the type of player I would love to have, though. He’s an excellent player.’

Redknapp revealed his plans to strengthen his Pompey ranks were already well under way.

He held extensive talks with Peter Storrie that week over recruitment plans and was looking to move quickly.

Redknapp said: ‘We had a great weekend after winning the FA Cup.

‘But we are already thinking about next season.

‘We are looking to strengthen the squad. We want to build something.

‘I spoke to Peter and we had a good chat.

‘I have gone through a few names of players with him, and we want to get them in quickly if possible.’