Portsmouth, Sunderland, Ipswich, Charlton and rest of League One given green light to recruit players NOW

The Blues and the rest of League One can bring in additions after the landmark arbitration panel ruling saw the controversial cap and squad restrictions binned.

But The News understands Kenny Jackett is likely to resist the temptation to further bolster his squad for the rest of the promotion battle.

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The Professional Footballers’ Association’s view the wage cap voted in by League One and League Two clubs last August was in breach of the constitution of the Professional Football Negotiating and Consultative Committee (PFNCC) was upheld on Tuesday.

That meant the immediate lifting of the £2.5m ceiling in place this season in League One, along with the 22-player limit on squad size.

An EFL meeting took place yesterday to clarify the detail of what takes place moving forward.

And it’s the ability for League One clubs to be able to sign players which will intrigue many.

Landing players contracted to clubs will be out of the question after the close of the January transfer window.

But those who do not have a team can agree terms - as long as they were free agents when the transfer window closed on February 1.

The likes of Marc Pugh, Kye Lafferty, Ricky Holmes and veteran defender Jason Shackell are among the sizeable number of players who fall into that category.

The signs from Pompey are they are not currently thinking about making any further additions to their squad.

Jackett sees comfortable with the players at his disposal after bringing in four new faces in the January transfer window.

Pompey’s rivals look likely to take advantage of the rule change, however, with many set to bolster their ranks in the coming weeks.

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