Portsmouth give Steve Cotterill approval for up to four signings

The Portsmouth board has told Steve Cotterill, the manager, he can make up to four signings in the January transfer window as the club look to bounce straight back into the Premier League. Portsmouth, who are currently five points below a play-off position in the Championship, have to work within financial constraints following the club's emergence from administration last month. Although Cotterill's starting XI includes Michael Brown, John Utaka, David Nugent and Hermann Hreidarsson, his squad has only 19 recognised first-team players. "Steve Cotterill has been told he can buy three or four players in January. Whether these are loan or free signings or for money depends but he understands the club has to work within its budget," a highly placed source at the club said. "The Football League closely monitors all of our dealings, which we respect." Sulaiman al-Fahim, the former Portsmouth chairman, will ask his legal advisers to write to the club for clarification regarding the 10% share he retains from his previous ownership. It is thought that this share is represented by the £5m he is owed by the club. If so, as an unsecured creditor, he may receive around £1m over the next five years under the terms of the Company Voluntary Arrangement with which Portsmouth emerged from administration.