Appy keen to get the ball rolling

The Fratton boss is expecting to build a new Blues team from scratch – with all but three or four of his current squad set to leave the club before next season.

But before he can secure new recruits, Appleton knows he has to ship out the big earners.

Then he must move quickly to snap up the free agents who are looking for new clubs.

The Pompey boss explained: ‘I will be working very hard over the summer.

‘But for it to work, the players who do need to leave, need to leave as quickly as possible.

‘I will need to know at some point what the budget will be for next season.

‘I can’t just offer contracts to players willy-nilly if that is to add up.

‘For that to happen, players need to leave the club and it’s got to happen quickly.

‘You can tee up players but there will come a point where they will go on holiday or they finish at their club and they weigh up what they have got.

‘Everyone wants security, so the sooner that happens, the better.

‘It would make my life a whole lot easier and will give Portsmouth a better opportunity to be competitive next season.’

Appleton has already identified a list of targets on significantly lower wages than his existing players.

He remains confident he can