Source: Daily_Mail
Going for Gold! Relegation-fearing West Ham chief offers Pompey £10m lifeline
Hammers' owner David Gold has sensationally offered to lend cash-strapped Portsmouth £10m in a bid to secure West Ham's Premier League survival. Pompey, who asked the Premier League to sell players outside the transfer window in order to raise funds on Thursday, are rooted to the bottom of the table.The club faces a winding-up petition from Her Majesty's Revenue andCustoms over an unpaid £11.7million tax bill on March 1 and willrequire a major injection of cash if they are to avoid being wound up. Jumping for joy: Portsmouth beat local rivals Southampton in the FA Cup last weekend And Gold is desperate to keep the south-coast club in business to ease West Ham's relegation fears.'If Portsmouth asked me for £10m, I would lend it to them so long as the Premier League endorsed it and I was repaid on the agreed date,' Gold told The Sun. 'West Ham have taken four points off Pompey this season and were they to go out of business we'd be in the bottom three. Dipping into his pocket: Gold (left) has offered to lend Pompey £10m'But I also feel for the Pompey fans. To see your club go intoliquidation would be devastating. If I can do something to avoid thatI'd be happy to do it as a football fan.'However Gold's amazingoffer is almost certain to be blocked by league rules which state aclub cannot directly or indirectly lend money or guarantee the debts ofanother club. Portsmouth plea to sell players outside transfer window passed on to FIFAPortsmouth midfielder Brown says six wins will save club from relegationPORTSMOUTH FC