Portsmouth have dismissed speculation linking Liam Lawrence and John Utaka with moves away from the club.
But club fail to agree deals with Brown and Hughes
Portsmouth have dismissed speculation linking Liam Lawrence and John Utaka with moves away from the club.
Lawrence has been linked with a switch to West Ham despite only recently agreeing a permanent move from Stoke.
Meanwhile, Utaka is also subject to a report in Turkey stating Turkish side Konyaspor have agreed a deal for the player.
Pompey chief executive David Lampitt has moved quickly to deny the rumours by issuing a statement.
"January is a time for endless speculation so perhaps I shouldn't have been too surprised to see Liam linked with a move away from us the day after he had signed," said Lampitt on the club's
official website.
"Never mind that he can't move twice in the same window the story about a supposed bid from West Ham was as much of a surprise to me as it was to the manager and is fairly typical of the sort of nonsense that seems to surface at this time of year.
"The same goes for the report about a club in Turkey that we have apparently agreed terms with for the sale of John Utaka, which is pretty remarkable given that the club involved hasn't even contacted us."
Contract dispute
Lampitt had less positive news regarding the futures of midfielders Michael Brown and Richard Hughes.
The duo have been locked in a contract dispute with the club and have been frozen out due to a clause in their contracts entitling the players to new deals with increased wages if they play one more game.
Talks have broken down after the club offered both men new deals, with the players now seemingly heading for the exit door at Fratton Park.
"We sought to reach a compromise and we made what we consider to be very reasonable offers to both players," added Lampitt.
"The players wanted more, as is their prerogative and there is no criticism for that, but we have been disciplined in our approach and will not pay more than market rate or we can afford.
"Unfortunately, we have not reached an agreement and their offers have now been withdrawn as we have to move on and make some tough decisions about building for the future with alternative resources."
