'Celtic and Rangers wanted to buy me, then I left cash-strapped Portsmouth on a free': Ex-Fratton favourite Marko Futacs

In order to prevent Pompey’s liquidation, the entire first-team playing squad was purged by administrators PKF in the summer of 2012. The painstaking process to remove 14 players was often acrimonious, spanning just over three months.

Certainly towering striker Futacs represented an asset. Financially - having months earlier attracted bids from Celtic and Rangers - and also on the football pitch after impressing with five goals in 30 appearances during his maiden Fratton Park campaign.

A popular figure among supporters, cash-strapped Pompey were forced to scrap attempts to activate a clause to extend the 22-year-old’s one-year contract when they realised they couldn’t afford the conditions.

Instead Futacs was offered a fresh deal - representing an 80 per cent pay cut - and left with a heavy heart.

Thankfully all players were removed from their books to enable the Blues to remain in existence, with fan ownership intervening nine months later to save the club.

Yet for Futacs, it was a heartbreaking departure from one of his favourite clubs of a 15-year playing career which took in seven countries and earned three international caps.

‘There was a period at Pompey which felt like a dream. I was scoring goals, playing against Chelsea in the FA Cup, Celtic and Rangers tried to sign me in the January transfer window, everything was going so well,’ the Hungarian told The News.

‘Then we had financial problems, the salaries came late, the club was in administration, nobody knew what was going to happen - then every senior player left. Including me.

‘I cannot remember if I was told to go, but they offered, how can I say this nicely, an awful contract. This was 80 per cent less than what I’d been on.

‘I had come from Germany aged 21, I wasn’t on much money, but the salary wasn’t a big deal for me. This was my chance to play in England, money was never the motivation for me.

‘There were big names at Pompey at the time, but I know when a young player comes to a different country, especially England, you need to show who you are and what type of game you are playing. Then the next contract is bigger.

‘I was young, I wanted to play football, especially for a Championship club, it didn't matter how much they paid, I would come and show myself.

‘The club had an option and, when I was doing well, they told me they would take it up at the end of the season. Now they couldn’t afford it. They were unable to pay that amount for my second season, so instead I was offered a new contract.

‘The problem was it was an 80 per cent pay cut and that really upset me. I loved the fans, I loved the city, I lived in the Lipstick Tower in Gunwharf, this felt like home to me, I was having so much fun. Even other clubs had started to show appreciation of my game.

‘It was an awful moment when I realised I had to change again and find a new team. And the problem was, after that, Leicester just wasn’t Pompey.’

In August 2011, following Convers Sports Initiative’s summer takeover, Blues boss Steve Cotterill was handed a substantial transfer kitty to launch a Premier League promotion challenge.

Although David Norris arrived on a free transfer from Ipswich, Luke Varney (£750,000), Greg Halford (£1m) and Erik Huseklepp (£1.5m) represented costly purchases for a club which had come out of administration 10 months earlier.

They were joined by Jason Pearce, Stephen Henderson, free agent Benjani Mwaruwari and then, five games into the Championship season, Futacs.

Recruited from Werder Bremen and signing a 12-month deal with a club option, the 6ft 5in striker bolstered an attacking department which also included Kanu, Benjani and Dave Kitson.

Futacs added: ‘I had been at Werder Bremen, who loaned me to Ingolstadt in Bundesliga 2, but I was young and liked to party. The focus was not so much the football, I was enjoying the life.

‘Football was not the priority, so I didn’t perform how I wanted. In the end Bremen said they would give me another contract, but would have to loan me out again.

‘At that time I had changed my agent, who told me Germany was fine but I wasn’t getting enough opportunities and the club didn’t appreciate my playing style - so why not try England?

‘He had some contact with Pompey, so I went on trial. We played a game, I don’t remember whether it was a friendly or if we played against each other, but Steve Cotterill liked me. I signed after being there for two or three days.

‘As soon as I came to England, I understood I had to change the way I approached football. The physical demands were much, much harder. I saw how well Pompey trained, with big names like Kanu, David Norris, Benjani and Liam Lawrence. I was now focused on football.

‘At that time I was 21, but had already played in France and Germany, so it was easy for me to change countries. Every country is the same, you just need time to feel at home in the dressing room, with the first two or three weeks being the most difficult.

‘To be in the same team as Kanu was crazy, it was like a dream to play with him, to talk with him, to be on the same bus as him. I was a young kid from Hungary around players like him and Benji.’

Although Futacs made his Pompey debut off the bench at West Ham in a 4-3 defeat in September 2011, it was another three-and-a-half months - and under a different manager - before being handed his maiden start.

Despite five substitute appearances under Cotterill, it was Michael Appleton’s appointment which provided more regular first-team involvement.

Futacs was finally presented with his full Blues debut on a New Year’s Eve trip to Leicester City - and marked his long wait with a goal in a 1-1 draw.

It kicked off a spell of three goals in his opening five starts in a period which also included playing at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup and being crowned Pompey’s Player of the Month for January.

He said: ‘I was young back then and didn’t react well to being on the bench many times. Maybe sometimes I gave the reason for the coaches because, in training, I didn't do well. Of course you can be angry, you can be frustrated, but you cannot show this in training.

‘If the coach even has one hesitation about you and sees that in training, you won’t be picked. So always give 100 per cent and then, when you go home, you can shout and do whatever you want through frustration.

‘So starting against Leicester was one of the best days in my life. The goal, the fans, it was crazy. I won the ball in the air and then smashed a half-volley with my right foot. Hit with frustration!

‘Appleton communicated much better than Steve Cotterill, I liked the coaches who talked to the young guys to help them a bit.

‘When you are young, we always put the coaches in the father character, so we want to play well for them, we want to fight for them. I like the coaches who realise that - and he helped you with the positive things and positive information.

‘I remember going to Chelsea in the FA Cup, my family was also there, and we faced a side containing John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Fernando Torres. This time was like a dream.

‘I was marked by David Luiz and, during the first half, after fouling him I apologised and gave him my hand to help him up. Appleton came to me at half-time and shouted at me about it! “Just be a fighter and don’t be a good guy”.’

Following the arrest of Pompey chairman Vladimir Antonov in November 2011 in connection with a £250m bank fraud, owners CSI were put into administration.

Then, ominously, a week before the end of the January 2012 transfer window, HMRC issued a winding-up petition as Pompey’s financial concerns began to pile up.

Young talent and sellable assets Ryan Williams and Futacs were beginning to attract interest, with Australian winger Williams sold to Fulham to help balance the books.

However, despite Glasgow Rangers and Celtic keen on the in-form Futacs, nothing could be completed on deadline day - as chief executive David Lampitt had turned off his phone to have a curry at Aubergine.

Just 17 days later, Pompey were put into administration by Portpin - and immediately handed a 10-point deduction by the Football League.

Futacs added: ‘I had offers from Celtic and Rangers, but in the last minutes of the transfer window Pompey’s chief executive didn’t pick up the phone.

‘It was a strange thing. In the final minutes, my agent called and said “They both want you, but we don’t know what’s going to happen. The club cannot be reached’”. So I stayed.

‘I wasn’t thinking about going at all. I was playing at Pompey, I loved the supporters, I loved the stadium, I loved the community, so for me it wasn’t a big deal about not going to Celtic or Rangers. I was happy to stay.

‘Then the financial problems started. They missed some salaries, there was a points deduction, we were relegated. The situation was bad.

‘I was told they were taking up my one-year option, but that came to nothing because now they couldn’t afford to. Then I was offered that contract, which was on 80 per cent less.’

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After 30 appearances and five goals, including a memorable stoppage-time winner at Doncaster in April 2012, Futacs signed for Leicester City on a three-year deal in the summer.

With Pompey relegated, it ensured he remained in the Championship, although the move wasn’t a success.

He said: ‘Leicester were fighting to get into the Premier League, but it didn’t go too well. I didn’t play much, I was frustrated.

‘It’s very hard to catch up. Some players have two matches a week, five or six in a month, but, for those on the bench, it's difficult. You aren’t training as much in that period because there are so many games.

‘If you’re not playing you lose the touch, you lose the confidence, and then you have one chance. You don’t play for 4-5 games but then something happens and you’re in the first XI. If you don’t play well, then they bring someone in on loan.

‘Harry Kane joined from Tottenham and played in front of me, Jesse Lingard came for a month from Manchester United. The coach was Nigel Pearson and I didn’t like him.’

Futacs scored two goals in 12 appearances for Leicester, although never made a Championship start.

He was loaned to Blackpool and then Hungarian side Diosgyor, where he earned the first of his three Hungary international caps, before departing the Foxes in June 2014 by mutual consent.

Futacs would go on to play for Turkish Super League club Mersin Idmanyurdu, Hajduk Split (Croatia), Fehervar, Zalaegerszegi TE (both Hungary), Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia), MTK and then Budapest Honved (both Hungary).

He retired last summer, at the age of 34, and has become a football agent, having founded the Budapest-based Manage Yourself Agency, handling 12 players.

He added: ‘I finished as Hajduk Split’s top scorer in 2016-17 and had offers from many countries, including China, Legia Warsaw in Poland and Bundesliga side Freiburg. However, Hajduk firstly wanted me to play against Everton in the Europa League (August 2017).

‘Everton were also watching me, with my price at £800,000, but we had to get those two games out of the way before they would sell me, hopefully getting into the group stage. Unfortunately, days before that match, I damaged the ACL in my right knee playing against Dinamo Zagreb.

‘I had previously damaged the ACL in my left knee while in Turkey, and later in my career also had a cartilage problem. It meant for the last two years I was fighting to continue and struggling with my right knee.

‘It was better to finish last summer, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to walk or play with my son, but it’s okay, it’s fine, I had fun.

‘I always think of teams like a bag, with everything that’s inside it. How is the city? How are the fans? Sometimes it’s easy, you click with the fans, the club and the coach, but sometimes it’s not happening.

‘It clicked for me at Pompey, I didn’t want to leave. But in the end I had to, which was sad.’

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