Portsmouth players paid

Portsmouth's players have finally received December's salary, the club have confirmed.

Portsmouth's players have finally received December's salary, the club have confirmed.

The Barclays Premier League club obtained funds this morning and paid the cash straight into the players' bank accounts.

A spokesman for the club confirmed that the players have now been paid and the confirmation followed chief executive Peter Storrie's pledge that the issue was on the brink of being resolved.

A Portsmouth spokesperson said: "We are pleased to say the players have now been paid."

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The financial uncertainty at Fratton Park has forced chief executive Peter Storrie to reassure the club's supporters that there will be no mass exodus of players during the January transfer window.

Storrie is also hopeful the transfer embargo placed on the club would be lifted before the end of the January transfer window.

A winding-up order from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs placed upon the troubled Fratton Park outfit and concerns over unpaid transfer fees have added gloom to a difficult season that sees Avram Grant's men sit bottom of the Premier League table.

Fears heightened that a clear-out of the playing staff at the club would follow as the transfer window reopened for business six days ago, but Storrie insists only "one or two" could leave and that any departure would be at owner Ali Al-Faraj's discretion.

Storrie told Sky Sports News: "That's something (players leaving) the owner of the club will decide, whether financing will come into the banks or through his own funds or if we have to sell one or two players then he will make that decision.

"At the same time I'd say maybe a mixture and that's something we're in discussions with and working on with the owner at the moment.

"There have been (enquiries about players). I've had one or two calls and one or two people think because of the press coverage that there's some kind of firesale on - that's not the case.

"If we have to sell then we'll sell them for their market price and not for what people think is a knock-down price."

The chief executive also said the club were working hard to have the transfer embargo placed on them lifted.

The ban will restrict any transfer activity Grant is able to do during January, a blow given the team's desperate plight at the foot of the table.

New faces are required to give the club any chance of beating the drop and Storrie believes the embargo should be lifted by January 12 when payments received from the Premier League cancel out any existing arrears on unpaid player fees.

Nwankwo Kanu, Aruna Dindane, Hassan Yebda and Nadir Belhadj are all on African Nations Cup duty, with the likes of David James, Asmir Begovic, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Younes Kaboul have all been tipped to depart during the next four weeks.

Such a clear-out would leave Grant with a threadbare team to work with, but Storrie said any departures would be countered by replacements.

He added: "We're working hard on that one (the embargo) with the Premier League and I have to say they've been as helpful as they possibly can.

"They will be paying some of our football creditor debts, bringing them up to date from the money that comes into the league on 12th January.

"We're in heavy discussions with them now and will continue to do so to get the embargo lifted after the 12th.

"I certainly hope so. If the owners' decision is that we have to sell a couple we've got to replace as well. Providing we can get the transfer fees up to date, which I believe we can, then I don't see any reason why the embargo can't be lifted."