Redknapp is forced to shop around

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp believes he may be a busy man on the transfer front in January as he seeks to add numbers to a squad shattered by injuries.

Pompey lost 3-0 to south coast rivals Southampton yesterday and Redknapp now wants four new players to give his side a fighting chance of saving their Premiership skins.

“We just can’t cope and have to get a couple of frees and a couple of loans,” said Redknapp, who has been a wheeler-dealer par excellence in the past.

“We have to get bodies in to give us a chance of staying up. You haven’t got to be a very clever man to realise that, if you take six players out of any team, how can it cope? You can’t get away with it.

“The only time my best side was outplayed was Newcastle away. But I haven’t got six of my best players at the moment.”

Shaka Hislop, Svetoslav Todorov, Nigel Quashie, Amdy Faye, Vincent Pericard, Gary O’Neil and Eddie Howe are all out injured while Arjan de Zeeuw, Steve Stone and Patrik Berger were all suspended from the derby humbling at St Mary’s.

“Against Southampton, I was without my first-choice goalie,” Redknapp added.

“Shaka’s been magnificent since the day he signed and we’ve not won a game since he got injured after we beat Leeds 6-1.

“There was also de Zeeuw missing in defence and my entire midfield of Stone, Quashie, Faye and Berger all out.

“Then Pericard’s suddenly out for up to eight weeks and O’Neil’s done his ankle and no-one knows how.

“It’s important to get players back from suspension but when the African Nations Cup comes around in the new year, I’ll be left with about 12 outfield players.

“Faye and Yakubu Ayegbeni have to go because they play for Senegal and Nigeria.

“The only reason they wouldn’t go is if they retire from international football – and they’re not going to do that because they want to play for their countries.

“And there are no kids to replace them as there’s not one young player at this club capable of playing in the Premier League.”

Southampton trio Jason Dodd, Marian Pahars and James Beattie got the goals which condemned Pompey to Christmas in the bottom three and hoisted Saints into fourth.

Gordon Strachan believes the goals are flowing again for his side. The return of Pahars and Agustin Delgado from long-term injuries means that, with Beattie, Kevin Phillips and Brett Ormerod, there is fierce competition for places up front.

“We’ve got more goals since Marian and Tino came back, even though they haven’t scored most of them,” Strachan said.

“You could see the effect their return had just by looking at what happened on the pitch against Pompey.

“But nobody felt sorry for us when Marian was out. I can’t remember any sympathy coming our way.”

Saints face Fulham at Loftus Road on Boxing Day while Pompey take on Tottenham at Fratton Park.