Portsmouth administrator Trevor Birch explained why Jason Pearce was sold to Leeds United for a knock-down price last week. Leeds paid a reported £500,000 for Pearce, with 10 per cent of the fee going to Bournemouth, but Birch is adamant such measures are necessary to keep relegated Pompey afloat.
He said:
"We are on a deadline and other clubs know we need to sell our assets.
"In fact, anybody paying anything at all is an achievement in the absence of a concrete bid from a party (prospective owner) and the possibility of liquidation.
"We do not want to sell any of these players, but it is a necessity. We are losing money hand over fist. There are ongoing costs so anything raised goes straight into the company." "I am aware there is going to be criticism over the fee (for Pearce). You are always going to get that. But we do the best deals we can. Let's not forget, we have not got a very strong hand.
