Charlton Athletic dodged QPR bullet with failed transfer | OneFootball

Former Queens Park Rangers winger Shaun Wright-Phillips turned down a move to The Valley in 2014.

Charlton Athletic dodged a bullet when Shaun Wright-Phillips turned down a loan move to The Valley in 2014.

The Addicks were embroiled in a relegation battle in the Championship when they registered an interest in signing Wright-Phillips on loan from Queens Park Rangers, but the former Chelsea and Manchester City winger opted to stay at Loftus Road.

The Rs were competing for automatic promotion to the Premier League at the time of the proposed loan move, but Wright-Phillips was clearly not a part of Harry Redknapp's plans, as he made just one substitute appearance in the league after turning down the temporary switch to SE7.

While it seemed as though Wright-Phillips would have been a shrewd acquisition for Charlton at the time, they may have dodged a bullet in hindsight.

Charlton Athletic survived despite failing to sign Shaun Wright-Phillips

Wright-Phillips rejected the loan move to Charlton in February 2014, and the following month manager Chris Powell was sacked with the club sitting rock bottom of the Championship.

The Addicks looked in real danger of suffering relegation back to the third tier of English football, just two seasons after they had won the League One title in style, when Jose Riga was appointed as Powell's replacement in March.

With just a few games remaining in the Championship season, only five points separated Huddersfield Town in 17th place and Blackpool in 22nd, while Charlton were level on points with the Tangerines in 21st, outside the relegation zone on goal difference, albeit with a game in hand on the teams around them.

Riga's side travelled to Hillsborough to take on Sheffield Wednesday in April 2014 knowing that a win would give them a huge boost in their bid for survival. Marvin Sordell scored a hat-trick in a 3-2 victory for the visitors, with 20-year-old winger Callum Harriott providing two assists for the striker.

Eight days later, following a defeat against Blackburn Rovers, Charlton hosted Watford at The Valley, and a brace from Harriott helped the Addicks to another 3-2 win, which secured their Championship safety.

Harriott then bagged a hat-trick against Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on the final day of the season, meaning he had scored five goals and assisted two in the final four games of the season, playing a key role in the Addicks' staying up.

The academy graduate only made 13 appearances before Wright-Phillips turned down a move to The Valley in February, before going on to make a further 15 before the end of the season.

If the QPR man had joined on loan, Harriott is unlikely to have featured as much as he did on the wing and may not have been able to fire the Addicks to safety, so it is fair to say that Charlton dodged a bullet.

Charlton dodged a bullet with failed QPR deal

In January 2015, QPR boss Redknapp bemoaned Wright-Phillips for staying at Loftus Road and collecting a lucrative wage instead of going out on loan, as per Sky Sports.

"I've told Shaun, of course I've told him, he needs to go on loan or move permanently. But he's not going to move when he's got a fantastic contract," Redknapp said.

"When he's had the chance on loan, Blackburn, Bolton, Charlton, they've come in for him and he's said 'I'm not interested'. He didn't want to know."

Charlton did not need a player who was unmotivated to go out and get minutes when they were in the midst of a relegation battle.

Instead, they handed opportunities to a youngster in Harriott, who had a point to prove, which resulted in the club preserving their Championship status.