Published: Monday, 23rd June, 2008 10:00
Pompey offer too good to turn down for Little
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The lure of the Premier League proved too strong for Glen Little.
GLEN Little was less than 24 hours away from agreeing a new Reading contract before a phone call from Harry Redknapp persuaded him to sign for Portsmouth.
The tricky winger had agreed a deal with the Royals which would have seen him remain at the Madejski Stadium for at least another year and was set to put pen to paper on Thursday.
But late on Wednesday evening he got a call out of the blue from Redknapp and, after meeting him the next day, he agreed to join to FA Cup winners on a one-year deal.
Little said: “It’s unbelievable how it’s happened. My deal was done and dusted with Reading and I was going to sign the next day, but then I got a call from Harry the night before.
“He said he’d only got back from holiday that night and that he’d phoned my agent straight away.
“He said he’d always liked me and that he’d tried to get me a couple of times over the years but hadn’t been able to. It all happened so quickly, it’s been a crazy couple of days.”
Little admits the decision to leave the Royals was tough but says he felt he owed it himself to have another crack at the top flight.
The 32-year-old enjoyed a fine first season in the Premier League with Reading but missed virtually all of last season’s relegation campaign due to an Achilles injury.
But now he is fit again and Little says the opportunity to play in the Premier League and the UEFA Cup was to good to turn down.
“It’s the chance to get back to the Premier League,” he said. “I felt so unlucky missing out last season.
“I was living the dream the year before but then it was all taken away from me because of the injury.
“That first season after we went up was the best time of my life, I was enjoying my football more than ever and I thought I would finish my career with Reading as an established Premier League side.
“But then I got the injury, came back and we were relegated. It was horrible how it all ended.”
He added: “I’ve got a lot of friends at Reading and so it was very difficult to leave.
“If I’d stayed I would have had no problems with that. I was already looking forward to coming back and helping the club get back in the Premier League.
“But it was too good an opportunity to turn down. It took me a long time to get into the top flight and now I’ve been given another chance so I had to take it.
“Portsmouth are a club who have just won the FA Cup. They’ve got a good squad that’s full of internationals and they’ve got a great manager. So on one hand I’m gutted to leave, but on the other I’m really excited about what lies ahead.”
Little says one of the most difficult things about agreeing on the move to Fratton Park was telling Steve Coppell he was leaving.
The pair have forged a strong relationship over the years and the former Burnley man admits emotions nearly got the better of him when he made the call.
He said: “It was very hard telling the gaffer. I’ve known him since I was nine-years-old and I’ve got a special bond with him.
“How do you tell someone like that you’re going to leave? I had a lump in my throat and couldn’t get the words out but he said fair play and wished me all the best.
“I’ll keep in touch with everyone at the club and hopefully we’ll be playing against each other after they get promotion back into the Premier League.”
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