History of Portsmouth F.C. place, thanks to academy director Paul Hart stepping in as caretaker boss, seven points clear of the relegated clubs, despite the disruption brought by the departure of Harry Redknapp and the subsequent sacking of his successor, former assistant manager Tony Adams. At the start of the 2008–09 season rumours began to fly around that Portsmouth were facing crippling debts due to their recent heavy spending and owner Alexandre Gaydamak was looking to sell the club. After Redknapp's departure many key players began to depart with Lassana Diarra and Jermain Defoe leaving in January. In May 2009, Sulaiman Al-Fahim had a
History of Portsmouth F.C. and manage the £70 million debt. This came to a head when Septembers wages were not paid on time, whereupon the club was once again taken over, this time by Saudi Arabian businessman Ali Al-Faraj. By this time, the team were, as expected, languishing at the bottom of the table, and Avram Grant was brought in as director of football. As poor results continued, however, Paul Hart was sacked and Grant took over as manager. Al-Faraj, however, did not seem to bring what was promised; he never attended Portsmouth matches and again club wages were not paid on time for