Portsmouth tell Adams sales are now over

Published on Thursday 8 January 2009 22:27

PORTSMOUTH manager Tony Adams has been given a timely boost ahead of tomorrow's visit of Manchester City with the assurance he will not have to sell any more of his star players.

Adams has seen his side dramatically weakened by losing midfielder Lassana Diarra to Real Madrid and Jermain Defoe's return to Tottenham.

England duo Glen Johnson and Peter Crouch have both been linked with departures from Fratton Park before the transfer window slams shut.

But Portsmouth executive chairman Peter Storrie said: "Let's make it abundantly clear, there will be no more players sold. We do not want to sell any more players.

"Jermain wanted to go so he went and I can assure you he is the only one. Everyone else is perfectly happy at the football club."

Portsmouth are believed to have pocketed 35million from selling Diarra and Defoe to help reduce the club's significant debts. Storrie insists the FA Cup holders did all they could to keep Defoe on the south coast.

Storrie added: "You want to keep a player like Jermain Defoe but clearly his head had been turned.

"When you get in that situation sometimes you can persuade players to stay – other times it is quite clear they have no intention of changing their mind.

"With Jermain his mind was made up – he wanted to go. Of course it was disappointing but there was nothing we could do about it. In the end we got a good deal for him. Effectively we got him on loan for a year and have made 6million in the process.

"But that is it. None of the others will be leaving. We are now concentrating on bringing others in and strengthening the squad."