Blues chief hits back at critics
David Lampitt has dismissed suggestions Pompey were in a deadline-day fire sale but conceded: We didn't get everything we wanted.
The Blues chief executive oversaw a complicated deal with Marc Wilson moving to Stoke City in exchange for Dave Kitson, Liam Lawrence and a fee of around 1.5m.
But aside from the double recruitment, Tommy Smith was sold to QPR – a transfer that left boss Steve Cotterill's threadbare squad still woefully short on numbers.
While there were rumours that David Nugent was lined up for a loan move to Blackpool and there was interest in several other Pompey players, Lampitt, above, has hit back at accusations of players being sold on the cheap.
Lampitt said: 'We had a few late bids, which were some clubs chancing their arm and trying to take advantage of our financial position. We weren't going to accept anything less than proper value for our players.
'We were never going to just offload people for the sake of it.'
Asked if he was happy with the club's transfer window activity, Lampitt replied: 'For the most part, yes.
'Of all the deals that we did over the course of the window, I think we have done pretty well both from a financial and footballing perspective.
'Did it go exactly as we wanted? No.
'But I don't think you could reasonably anticipate that things would go
exactly as you want in our position.
'I think we set some tough targets and from a personal point of view, you are disappointed if you don't get to where you want to get to.
'But looking at it as a whole, we've done a decent job and that is the most important thing for the future of the club.'
One player who Pompey failed to sell before the deadline was John Utaka – who was identified as surplus to requirements largely because he is one of the bigger earners at the club.
But a suitable offer failed to materialise for the Nigerian.
While Lampitt refused to discuss individuals, he did reveal that some clubs had attempted to take advantage of Pompey's situation.
He said: 'It's not a surprise. But from our side, we put in a couple of what you might call cheeky offers towards the end of the window as well.
'Sometimes it's worth chancing your arm.
'It's not a criticism of anyone. But any deals had to be on terms that made sense.'
It perhaps didn't help that Pompey's finances were laid bare for all to see as part of the CVA process with rival clubs believing they could help themselves to a bargain.
Lampitt said: 'We will never have another transfer window again like this one.
'At the start of the window, we put almost everyone up for sale as part of the CVA process and that has its own problems.
'In all of these deals, we are trying to protect the interests of Portsmouth Football Club and you are up against other people who are trying to protect their own interests.
'And it can make negotiations difficult.'
Lampitt added: 'It's been an intense period for everyone involved at the club. I think we all feel a bit of relief that we all know where we stand now.'
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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