Portsmouth No2 Tony Adams has hailed the impact already made by January signing Lassana Diarra.

"Lassana is an exceptional player, he's a fantastic addition to the squad," Adams told the Portsmouth News. "And of course, you don't come from the Arsenal and not be a good player. I may be a bit biased on that front, but it's true.

"When a manager like Arsene Wenger signs you, you've got to have something about you as a player. You cannot ignore a bit of pedigree like that. It's a great thing to have on your CV. I'm sure a lot of former Arsenal players would agree.

"Lassana's got great technique, he's very comfortable on the ball, he can handle the ball, he moves the ball well and he switches the sides comfortably. He's tenacious and does high-intensity running every 60 seconds, which is really up there with the best.

"He's a good player - good players can play. Lassana's exceptional, definitely high calibre."