Hart ready for business

27 July 2009 14:05
Portsmouth manager Paul Hart wants to sign five or six players within the next fortnight and hopes to have captured Steve Finnan before Wednesday. The Premier League side have been strongly linked with former Fulham and Liverpool full-back Finnan, who is thought to be keen to leave Espanyol. And having recently been handed a permanent contract, Hart is eager to sign the 33-year-old before departing for a pre-season trip to Portugal in midweek. The Pompey boss has also reiterated his interest in Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic as he prepares for the new season. Hart told The News said: "Over a period of the next week or two I am expecting maybe five or six players to come. "We've got quite a lot of targets that we're working on and we're hoping that most of them will come to fruition. "I think getting Steve Finnan before we get to Portugal has got a chance. Although I'm reluctant to talk too much until it's actually pen to paper. "Kalinic is one of many we're interested in. There are some good players we've looked at and identified and we are hopeful. "In the next week or two we should see some additions to the squad. Character "I've been looking at most positions because obviously we've got to have back-up. And there's a type of player and a type of character that we are trying to get in as well. "Five or six players is what we are looking at and I'm hopeful." Hart, though, does expect players to leave Fratton Park, with Peter Crouch continuing to attract interest from Tottenham and Sylvain Distin linked with Aston Villa and Liverpool. "It may be more than five or six we bring in, it depends if maybe one or two leave," said Hart. "That will be my choice so we'll see. "It's not right for me to go any further into that but hopefully there will be quite a bit of movement."

Source: SKY_Sports