James makes Pompey pledge

Keeper not planning on following former team-mates through exit door

Last updated: 2nd August 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

James makes Pompey pledge

James: Happy to stay

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Portsmouth goalkeeper David James insists he will not be the next high-profile player to leave Fratton Park this summer.

The financial situation on the South Coast has seen England internationals Glen Johnson and Peter Crouch sold to Liverpool and Tottenham respectively.

Reports have claimed that James could follow Johnson and Crouch out of the exit door, but the 39-year-old has no plans to move.

James featured in the friendly against Guimaraes on Friday after undergoing knee and shoulder operations over the summer, and he is happy to stay with Paul Hart's side.

Challenging season

"If I wasn't going to stay I wouldn't have played against Guimaraes," James told The News. "Moving clubs for me isn't an issue, to be honest.

"I signed a contract and my intention was to see out the World Cup and the following season and see how it went from there. That hasn't changed as far as I am concerned.

"Of course it's going to be a hard season. As cliched as that is, I think most clubs will say the same for one reason or another, really.

"But it's going to be a challenging season and I'm looking forward to it.

"We are about to have a new owner - which is a positive step - and although we are not expecting tens of millions to spend, at least we are looking.

"So I'm optimistic about everything."