Pompey's transfer ban lifted

Portsmouth - Portsmouth's transfer embargo was lifted by the English Premier League (EPL) on Tuesday.

The embargo had been in place since October, with bottom of the league Portsmouth owing money to several clubs.

But the EPL's latest decision does give manager Avram Grant the chance to bringing players to the south coast side in what remains of the January transfer window.

However, the club have been restricted to signing players only on loan or on free transfers, meaning they can't spend money on permanent deals.

An EPL statement said Tuesday: "The board of the Premier League has today lifted the player registration embargo on Portsmouth Football Club under the conditions that they are restricted to signing players on loan or who are available on a free transfer.

"The board has taken this action as Portsmouth FC has no outstanding debts to football clubs as of this date."

Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie told the club's official website: "We are delighted that the transfer embargo for player registrations has been lifted by the Premier League.

"The club and the Premier League have worked together to allow us to be able to do some business in the last week of the transfer window.

"Avram Grant will now be trying to bring in players to strengthen the squad in loan and free deals."

A last remaining stumbling block to Portsmouth signing players in January was over payments owed to Italian side Udinese for bringing Sulley Muntari, who has since returned to Serie A with Inter Milan, to Fratton Park.

However, an agreement between the clubs is understood to have been reached.

Portsmouth face a winding up order from the British tax authorities regarding an alleged unpaid bill of 7.5 million pounds while their former owner, Alexandre Gaydamak, has said the club still owe him 28 million pounds.

Pompey have been confronting off-field problems since before the start of the season.

The protracted sale of the club from Gaydamak to Sulaiman Al-Fahim hampered their ability of Portsmouth, the 2008 FA Cup winners, to sign new players while several first team regulars left the club.

Glen Johnson was sold to Liverpool for 18 million pounds before the campaign started in July.

But the England full-back's departure, along with the exits of Peter Crouch, sold to Tottenham for nine million pounds, Niko Kranjcar, who also joined Spurs, and Sylvain Distin, sold to Everton, appear, in retrospect, to have done little to ease Pompey's financial plight.

Al-Fahim was only in charge for a matter of weeks before selling on to Saudi businessman Ali Al-Faraj, who has struggled to cope with the club's debts.

Portsmouth have three times this season failed to pay their players on time and the Premier League diverted seven million pounds in television revenues to other clubs owed transfer fees by the club.

Meanwhile Storrie, former manager Harry Redknapp, now at Tottenham, and former chairperson Milan Mandaric, now at Leicester, all face individual tax evasion charges resulting from their time at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth, four points adrift at the foot of the table, go into Tuesday's Premier League match at home to West Ham buoyed by last weekend's FA Cup fourth round win over top-flight rivals Sunderland which set up a south coast derby tie against Southampton.