Bargain Hunt

Harry Redknapp has always been known for his bargain buys that always seem to come off. Yakubu, Hislop, Merson, De Zeeuw etc. So maybe perhaps instead of going for these big name, cost-a-bomb players who are untried in England (like Fernandes and Zigic) perhaps we should look to prise some of the players who are out of favour with their current club or players who are playing in the lower divisions.

Fratton Faithful runs the rule over players who might be able to "do a job" for Pompey, without paying mega bucks.

1) Wayne Routledge (Tottenham Hotspur)

Wayne was on loan here last season as we all know though didn't get much of a look in on the first team. I don't know why however whenever he came on he looked dangerous in my opinion, scaring defences with his pace and trickery whilst keeping the ball away from the opposition when we were in the lead late on. He's still young and I doubt Tottenham would place a massive value on him because of how well Lennon is playing. Routledge also used to play in the same England under-21 side as Glen Johnson so there could be potential partnership down the right hand side there. I think he potentially has a lot to offer this club though I doubt Harry does otherwise he would have played him more often last season. It's a shame because I think he'd be a good player if we got him for around £3 million.

2) Wes Brown (Manchester United)

Brown has been at United for ages now and as a result he would bring a wealth of big game experience to Fratton Park having played in the Champions League and other cup finals. Brown is likely to find himself well down the pecking order at Old Trafford because of the likes of Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre and Heinze who can all play there and all of whom are likely to play ahead of Brown. This isn't to say Brown is a bad defender though, far from it in fact as he's come a long way since his youth days and always puts in assured, consistant performances when called upon and as he isn't getting any younger perhaps it's time for him to move on? He's certainly got to be better than any of our central defenders and maybe Redknapp's good relationship with Fergie would mean that the asking price would be dropped.

3) Charles N'Zogbia (Newcastle United)

We're in need of someone who can play on the left, someone who has a bit of pace and trickery who can also score goals. N'Zogbia fits the bill and is progressing very well as a player and is still young. N'Zogbia might find his first team oppurtunities limited with the Toon having just signed Damien Duff whilst Albert Luque also plays in that position. N'Zogbia showed how well he could play against us at St. James' Park last season by giving Andy Griffin hell all game as well as scoring too. Who knows? Maybe the young frenchman should be a target for us and we'd certainly have the money to buy him too.

4) Collins John (Fulham)

The 20 year old striker was Fulham's top scorer last season scoring 12 goals. Pretty impressive considering he only made 18 starts for his club last season and always looks dangerous whoever he plays against. I think John is under-rated and it baffles me that Fulham would consider selling him to the likes of Birmingham! I accept he's not quite the finished article yet and that he's got a bit of an attitude but I'm sure that won't matter to a man who could tame Paolo Di Canio. He's only 20 as previously said so he's only going to get better too so if Fulham really are considering letting him go then we could do a lot worse than to get him on board.

5) Steed Malbranque (Fulham)

Another Fulham player on the list although he will almost certainly not be at Craven Cottage this coming season because he has requested a transfer and as a result has been told he can rot in the reserves. There is no doubting that most sides in the Premiership would love to have Malbranque in their side as his quality speaks for itself. He can play either side or even in the middle and with our new ambition and financial backing we could coax a player of his calibre to Fratton Park. In fact, we should do everything in our power to sign such a quality player who could surely be a realistic transfer target for Pompey.

6) Lee Camp (Derby County)

Forget about all the hype surrounding Robert Green, Lee Camp is said by many to be a better prospect than the Norwich goalkeeper and is only 21 years of age this season. Deano isn't getting any younger and with only Jamie Ashdown as cover another goalkeeper could be needed this season. Camp has the ability to pull off some great saves despite a couple of rusty edges to his game that he needs to iron out but even so he would be a great understudy to Kiely as well as decent competition for Jamie Ashdown. I'm sure Derby would do their best to keep him at Pride Park although maybe the lure of Premiership football and a bigger bank balance would tempt the highly rated 'keeper to Pompey.

7) David Nugent (Preston North End)

A couple of years ago a mate of mine who supports Bury was waxing lyrical about Nugent, claiming that he could play in the Premiership. I pretty much laughed this claim off but since this conversation Nugent has been making waves in the Championship, scoring for Preston regularly. I must admit that taking Nugent on would be a gamble however every time I have seen him I have been very impressed and he seems like one of these players who could adjust to the Premiership effortlessly, and he's only 21. Of course there would be a risk in trying out Nugent in the top flight and no doubt Preston would want a nice large fee for him but even if he didn't take to the Premiership immediately, he would be a sound investment for the future.

8) Nigel Quashie (West Bromwich Albion)

.......Just kidding!