Portsmouth chairman Sacha Gaydamak is convinced they can compete with Europe's elite in the coming years.

Gaydamak told The News: "Next year the pressure will rise - we'll have to work on player recruitment, the infrastructure. If we qualify for Europe, the manager will naturally need a bigger squad and it's my job to make funds available to him.

"When I joined, we first got out of relegation. So now it seems realistic to enter the top four. To do so requires a certain structure, a mindset. And of course the rewards will help us to be a regular in the top four, not the top six."

Gaydamak, who celebrated his 32nd birthday yesterday, has quietly, yet undoubtedly improved the club during his two years at the helm.

But now he's keen to break the stranglehold on the top four and he believes it is within the club's grasp to compete with the biggest clubs in the land.

Gaydamak said: "Over a period of time, with the improvement to the football and the deals being put in place by the Premier League, it is very possible."