Shotton can be Pompey's right man
Ryan Shotton has emerged as Pompey's new right-back target.
And Steve Cotterill is also pursuing a midfielder as he aims to strengthen his threadbare squad.
Stoke's Shotton is in the frame for a switch to Fratton Park as Steve Cotterill closes in on an emergency loan.
Spurs' Kyle Naughton had been the preferred option for two months, only to move to Leicester yesterday.
The Blues boss, however, had already made contingency plans, spending the past week focusing on an alternative after admitting defeat in his pursuit of the England under-21 full-back.
The new target is believed to be Shotton, who was linked with a Fratton Park move during the summer.
The 22-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Barnsley, has yet to feature for the Potters this time around and sources in Stoke insist he would be willing to move to Pompey.
Understandably, Cotterill is keeping his lips sealed over the identity of the right-back.
Yet he remains hopeful of getting him in time for tomorrow's Watford clash.
He said: 'I have a loan player I would like to bring in this weekend if possible.
'I've also got Hermann, who I would like to get over the line, and I've got another midfield player I would like to bring in, should we be able to do that.
'Maybe the right-back will be sorted this weekend but I've said that before.
'It's the hardest club in the world to ever get a player over the line. It's very, very difficult.
'I'm not going to name the right-back, though. I don't talk about anything until it is done. I never do that.
'I just think it's disrespectful to the player and to the club, so I won't talk about it until it is done.
'If somebody else knows about it they may jump on the bandwagon and think if "he is available they can have him."
'I would rather not say anything at the moment.
'It's very, very difficult to sign players under normal circumstances.
'Except, these are always extraordinary circumstances I am always working against to try to sign a player.
'We'll just have to see on that one.'
Cotterill is also eyeing a midfielder to recruit when Pompey's registration embargo is finally lifted.
That will take the form of another emergency loan as he bids to increase his selection options.
He added: 'I have players lined up once the embargo has gone.
'It is whether we have the money to have them.
'There is a player I want who can play any one of the four midfield slots and will be a very, very good player for us.
'Looking at our midfield at the moment, we've got energy, we've got legs, we've got a passer and we've got a sprinter.
'We have got someone who plays from in to out in John Utaka. We have got someone who goes from out to in in Liam Lawrence.
'There is not a bad variation there but this player is different to those, for sure.'
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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