POMPEY FOR SALE AT £20M

Alexandre Gaydamak wants out before crisis hits

ALEXANDRE GAYDAMAK - wants out

By ROB BEASLEY, 27/09/2008

ALEXANDRE GAYDAMAK is set to sell Portsmouth for an initial £20million.

Pompey's Russian owner has put the cash-strapped Premier League side up for sale in a bid to avert a full-scale financial crisis.

The FA Cup holders owe a staggering £60m and fear a £25m loss this season alone. The Fratton Park club's accounts are now dominated by a wage bill that swallows up almost £60m of the club's annual turnover of just over £65m.

That is a stunning 90 per cent of Portsmouth's income, which leaves precious little left to run the South Coast club.

Yet Pompey still have to find the cash to cough up almost £20m in deferred transfer fees by August next year.

So unless a buyer is found quickly then top stars and top earners will have to be sold in the January transfer window in a desperate bid to balance the books.

Sol Campbell, Sylvain Distin, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Lassana Diarra are among the most highly-paid players at the South Coast club.

A Portsmouth insider said: "To keep the club at this level will cost a fortune and even Alexandre can't afford to foot the bill for that.

"Gaydamak has two stark choices. Sell up and get out or have a fire sale of players in January to raise millions in transfer fees and save millions in wages."

Russian businessman Gaydamak took over Portsmouth in 2006 and the club enjoyed success on the pitch when they beat Cardiff at Wembley in May to lift the FA Cup.

Pompey now host Tottenham at Fratton Park today with an air of uncertainty hanging over Harry Redknapp's team.

To add to the pressure, Portsmouth are desperate for a win against struggling Spurs having been trounced 6-0 at Manchester City and 4-0 at home to Chelsea in their last two games.

Your comments

This article has 35 comments

well, pomap are like not so good so they deserve 15 million :)

By some random guy.. Posted October 1 2008 at 10:24 AM.

pay up pompey, pompey pay up!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha!!!!
See you on your way down, you embarrasment to the premier league!

By Oi!Pompey!Leave that fish alone.. Posted October 1 2008 at 2:29 AM.

See ya next fish boys

Bubble has burst big time.

LMFAO

By Gaz SFC.. Posted September 30 2008 at 3:45 PM.

All you jealous scummers make me laugh ! We will not be playing you next season cos we will still be in the Prem and you will be Two Divs Below us and if you are lucky IN ADMINISTRATION TOO ! LOL !

By CHRIS.. Posted September 30 2008 at 3:04 PM.

Newcastle for Sale - USD $300 Million.
Man City Sold - $230 Million

Pompey - $40 Million - Seems like a Bargain to me. Working on a deal - Watch this space - Mr FreeZone??? Pompey Supporter....

By Tony in Phuket.. Posted September 30 2008 at 5:51 AM.

Hope this is true. Yes I'm a Southampton fan but its dirty money that has helped get the players in.

And getting a new stadium would be a MASSIVE mistake for Pompey, they can't even fill Fratton all the time let alone a 36,000 seater. They would only fill it for the games that involve Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Saints.

Hopefully this is the beginning of the downfall for Pompey.

See you in the championship soon skates.

COYR

By Labram.. Posted September 29 2008 at 12:45 PM.

Don't fear skates, im sure lowe will buy ya;)

By lowe.. Posted September 29 2008 at 10:56 AM.

the unrealistic wages paid in football these days are not sustainable. nobody deserves these wages -how about being paid in accordance wiyth their pereformance

By charles baldacchino.. Posted September 29 2008 at 10:15 AM.

Harry manages players well, but not so good at money PLAY UP POMPEY

By rodders2.. Posted September 28 2008 at 8:56 PM.

I would love to see players play for fun for a while and not just because of the money. Then we would see what teams are really like. Come and live in the real world. They can only pay the players the wages because of the money they take of us for tickets

By Southampton.. Posted September 28 2008 at 2:55 PM.

They can only pay the players the kind of wages they do by charging us extortionate rates for tickets

By Ricky.. Posted September 28 2008 at 3:17 PM.

POMPEY ARE 110 PERCENT MASSIVE - FACT

By hillbilly_blue.. Posted September 28 2008 at 4:25 PM.

lol, lol, lol, lol, lol, lol see you next season, come on you SAINTS x

By Up the Saints.. Posted September 28 2008 at 12:44 PM.

GOOD about time something happened to the skates, ha ha ha ha ha bye bye Pompey, Pompey bye bye, COME ON YOU SAINTS, see you next season lol

By Rupert Lowe.. Posted September 28 2008 at 12:39 PM.

great news all they do is steal players from other teams by giving them big wages, why would james .distan ,diarra and little and large sign for a mickey mouse club .

By neil.. Posted September 28 2008 at 12:45 PM.

Lets hope that a new buyer comes in A.S.A.P. to bankroll the club and get them into a new stadium with a bigger capacity. Although I'm not a Pompey fan, I'd hate to see the club have to sell all their best players and then probably face a scrap against relegation as a result. They've one of the best groups of supporters in the Premier League and we need good, passionate-supported clubs to remain in this league.

By Gavin O'Reilly.. Posted September 28 2008 at 11:58 AM.

It never ceases to amaze me that,when something like this happens in football, all of a sudden everybody is an expert in coaching,managing and the general running of a premiership football team. Harry is a top top manager an that will never change.The financial side is down to the backroom staff and they must be held responsible for overspending,and "too" is spelt thus!!!

By steve pompey!!.. Posted September 28 2008 at 12:03 PM.

Harry is the best manager we have ever had - what the club had been waiting for for the best part of 60 years. He attracts the out of favour, ackward big players, they want to play for him.

If Sacha wants to sell up then fair play. He took us onto another level. I'd love to see someone in the Southern area stump up the money to buy and sustain. But there is no-one British.

Mandaric stepped in to save the club when it was on it's knees in 1998/99 when no one else wanted to know.

Shame Richard Branston ain't a Pompey fan.....

By Jimbob Nomates.. Posted September 28 2008 at 12:02 PM.

billy, you have`nt got a clue!!
i think were be fine if we can find someone who will invest in the long awaited stadium, get the income from 36.000 true pompey supporters, not plastic supporters waiting to have a dig when things arnt looking to well.

By dan p.. Posted September 28 2008 at 11:16 AM.

it seems lost in time that good old harry did this at west ham.
these new owners seem brain dead over football.
once they realize that the premiership exists solely
to make young men rich they will stop buying clubs.
the nitroginous matter will then really hit the fan.

By rod smith.. Posted September 28 2008 at 11:02 AM.

Harry Redknapp is the best manager in the country.

By RT.. Posted September 28 2008 at 11:13 AM.

By dan p.. Posted September 28 2008 at 11:14 AM.

good team on paper - harry's done well on the football side BUT most of the players are a bunch of mercenaries only at Portsmouth 'cos they're paid over the odds salary-wise. Shame

By jonas.. Posted September 28 2008 at 11:02 AM.

If it was not for Harry we would not be in this league, give sacha a chance he bought mandaric out after milans good work and then supported harry and we won the cup and are playing in Uefa, we would never had done that had gregory or deacon been the owners still, so come on wake up and support the team .

By danny spall.. Posted September 28 2008 at 10:13 AM.

Not Happy with harry! send him up to St James park with some of his players we will welcome them with open arms.At least you have wone some domestic cups in the last 50 year!!!!

By john newcastle.. Posted September 28 2008 at 10:19 AM.

The sooner my club goes belly up the better. We have now and have always had ideas above our station and the sooner we get back to playing bristol and swindon on a wet tuesday night the better.
Players like campbell and distin dont give a toss about pompey. there just here for the money.
Bring in players what want to play for the club instead of the money then we will get to our true level.
We have had a taste of the premiership and i dont think its up to much. Lets get back where we belong and leave the premiership to the prawn eating brigade.

By stumpy.. Posted September 28 2008 at 9:53 AM.

correct me if i am wrong i am sure the chairman when he came in had no money and had to get his old man to bail him out , ( i can smell a rat ). hope all goes well for your club,
ajackboy ( swansea city )

By ajackboy.. Posted September 28 2008 at 9:36 AM.

what harry knows is to bring players in and out-no wonder the club finds itself in this situation

By teeque.. Posted September 28 2008 at 9:14 AM.

If it was down to Harry, Muntari and Mendes would still be with us, Harry only identifies the players that he wants the owners decide whether the funds are available or not, up until the summer they backed him. As Gaydamak is involved in property his income potential has probably taken a massive hit and money he thought would be forthcoming is now not there and that is why were are in the position we are in.

By TonyH2.. Posted September 28 2008 at 8:47 AM.

Harry does not come across as the brightest spanner in the box. He looks like he has had a few drinks when interviewed. Pompey have put this big kid in the sweet shop in a crazy sort of supermarket sweep. The reult is that this clown has left us in enormous debt.

By Mark.. Posted September 28 2008 at 8:28 AM.

Billy, a touch of jealousy there, methinks.There are many, many clubs who would kill for Harry's services. The transfer prices & wages are not in Harry's remit, they are to do with the financial side of P'mouth f.c.& more importantly, are part of the reality of Murdoch's legacy of over inflated, under-skilled players. Football is eating itself.
Harry has & will continue, to work wonders in the transfer market, albeit on a fixed budget.

By Tea-Time O'Rourke.. Posted September 28 2008 at 7:51 AM.

That's what happens when 'arry takes over your club as manager - the wage bill increases massively, as does the number of transfers in and out.

I wonder why......?

By Alex.. Posted September 28 2008 at 7:40 AM.

i blame scumknapp, get him out of our club now, before its too late.
play up pompey

By shergy.. Posted September 28 2008 at 7:25 AM.

Rednapp is a fantastic manager (of players) but not so great when it comes to balancing the books. They got to big to quick, Rednapp is a big fish in a small pond at Portsmouth he should take a bigger job overseas if it all goes belly up at Portsmouth.
There is to much pressure on Prem ship managers now harry doesnt need it.

By richard hawks.. Posted September 28 2008 at 7:34 AM.

So much for "wheeler dealer" Harry Redknap. He's an old dinosaur with no fiscal training. A recipe for disaster and will ruin ANY club that is foolish enough to employ him. 60 Million on wages?? Are they insane?

By Billy.. Posted September 28 2008 at 2:26 AM.

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