Revealed: How Webster windfall drove Pompey promotion

The sale of Adam Webster to Ipswich helped bankroll Pompey to League Two title success.

The full extent of the windfall from that summer of 2016 deal is recorded in Blues accounts recently filed at Companies House.

Covering the year ending June 30, 2017, the period includes Paul Cook’s promotion season, although ends before Tornante’s August 2017 takeover.

According to figures, Pompey made a profit of £980,606 on the disposal of player registrations.

That consists of around £700,000 from the Webster transfer to Portman Road, an agreement which also saw Matt Clarke arrive in part-exchange.

Pompey’s transfer dealings in the previous year (2016) amounted to £77,415.

In addition to Webster, the Blues also cashed in on Adam Barton’s August 2016 sale to Partick Thistle, worth around £40,000.

That leaves circa £240,000 received from Wigan in respect of compensation for taking boss Cook in May 2017.

Of that income, approaching £400,000 was spent on player recruitment which would secure the League Two trophy.

From the summer of 2017, Cook signed 16 players to Fratton Park, including the aforementioned Clarke.

Accounts show that during that period a figure of £375,522 was outlaid on transfer fees, loan fees and agent fees.

Pompey paid for four players – Michael Smith (Swindon), Jamal Lowe and Nicke Kabamba (both Hampton & Richmond) and Curtis Main (Doncaster).

Meanwhile, loans included Eoin Doyle, David Forde, Dominic Hyam and Aaron Simpson.

Elsewhere, wages and salaries rose by £407,022 to reach £5.36m.

However, this included ‘substantial’ bonuses to football team management and players in recognition of promotion to League One.

Interestingly, despite taking the League Two title, the Blues received just £25,000 from the Football League.

Finally, ticket sales dropped from £4.87m to £3.86m, irrespective of the promotion outcome.

That was influenced by just one home cup and play-off match – as opposed to seven the previous season.

In 2015-16, the Blues hosted Reading and Derby in the Capital One Cup, and Macclesfield, Accrington, Ipswich and Bournemouth in the FA Cup.

There was also a play-off match against Plymouth.