‘Arry Looking to Nick Shorey

Not content with the surprise swoop for Reading legend Glen Little, Harry Redknapp has now set his sights on England full-back Nicky Shorey.

Despite not making a formal transfer request, Shorey has made no secret of his desire to leave the club and spent much of last season sulking after not being allowed to move to West Ham.

After a poor season, interest in Shorey has begun to wane, but it seems Pompey are ready to take a gamble on the full-back twice capped by England.

Redknapp said, ‘Nicky Shorey is a player I like. He’s a good player and a good footballer.

‘We’re looking for players who would give us something a bit different and he would do that. He would give us something different to Hermann Hreidarsson. Having said that, Hermann did a fantastic job for us and was brilliant for me.

‘But we are going to need a squad and we are going to need cover. We are going to be playing more games than ever next season and it’s going to be a lot tougher for us.`

It won`t come as a shock to Reading fans if Shorey does leave, but with Little already gone and Harper and Sonko seemingly on their way out, the rebuilding process at the Madejski Stadium could be more of a challenge than initially anticipated.