More Strife At Pompey

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Avram Grant blasts Portsmouth broken promises as Premier League holds back £2m from Kaboul and Begovic sales

By Sportsmail Reporter

Last updated at 5:52 PM on 02nd February 2010

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Avram Grant has hit out at Portsmouth's broken promises amid further financial misery for the stricken south coast club.

The Israeli had hoped to strengthen in the transfer window, but found his first-team squad weakened on deadline day as Younes Kaboul and Asmir Begovic were sold in an attempt to make a dent in debts.

Now it has emerged that the Premier League will hold on to more than £2million from the sales to cover money owed to other clubs.

Financial pressure is rising, with the playing staff still waiting for their January wages and news that a deadline had been missed to pay former owner Sacha Gaydamak £9m.

Former Chelsea boss Grant took over from Paul Hart in November and was led to believe he be in a position to add four new players to his side, who are rock bottom of the Barclays Premier League.

However, the only January arrival was former Arsenal forward Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, who arrived on loan from Spartak Moscow.

The decisions to sell Kaboul and Begovic without being consulted led Grant and chief executive Peter Storrie to consider their positions.

But with Pompey facing a trip to Fulham on Wednesday, Grant insisted: 'I'm not a quitter and I'm not afraid of problems. For me a problem is a big challenge and I came here with a big challenge.

'But I'm very, very disappointed with the situation off the pitch and I'm very disappointed that people cannot do what they promised me.'

'When I came to the team, I knew the situation was not good with the football side, but they promised me everything was good with the financial side and that we would bring four players more.

'We took points and the team played good football - not worse than the teams in 10th or even eighth place.

'We showed a lot of character and were thinking about the next step - to stay in the league.

'We needed to bring in players so that the squad could be good, especially as we had a lot of injuries in the team.

'Instead of bringing in two players, we sold two players. I'm very disappointed.'

'I'm trying not to think about myself now, especially when we have a game on Wednesday. I'm trying to think about the club because I don't think that I'm the main issue.

'The main issue is Portsmouth Football Club and the fans. I'm trying to think what is best for them.

'Of course, I don't feel we did the best for them off the pitch. But on the pitch, we are always trying to do the best and I'm only thinking about the game.'

Chelsea and Watford will both receive cash owed from when Pompey signed Glen Johnson and Tommy Smith respectively.

Once the players' wages have been covered, the £4m remainder from the £8m Portsmouth earned from selling Kaboul and Begovic could be an important lifeline.

The club will use a chunk of the cash to try to persuade HM Revenue and Customs to reschedule the payments on the £7.5m owed in VAT.

However, another creditor has also joined in with HMRC's winding-up petition to the High Court on Wednesday week.

Grosvenor Basingstoke Properties are claiming they are owed money by Portsmouth though that is being disputed by the club.

Their total deb to Gaydamak stands at £28m. It is unlikely that he will take any action to push the club towards administration because that would not be in his best interests in terms of reclaiming his debt.

Portsmouth say they expect to pay the players' wages for January 'in the next day or two'.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1248023/Avram-Grant-blasts-Portsmouth-broken-promises-Premier-League-holds-2m-Kaboul-Begovic-sales.html#ixzz0ePLYcpEu