James to drop extension clause

(GSM) – David James is ready to drop his right to a new contract with Portsmouth to aid the struggling club. James is prepared to relinquish his old contract’s clause which states that the goalkeeper is entitled to an extension should he play 25 games this season

But James is ready to surrender his right to a new contract in order to return to first-team football and boost his own World Cup ambitions.

The England international was linked with a move away. However, James is set to be his club’s first-choice goalkeeper after Asmir Begovic’s deadline-day move to Stoke.

The 39-year-old veteran ‘keeper eyes a place among Fabio Capello’s 23-man list for South Africa’s World Cup this summer and understands that he must play regularly to fight for his place in his nation’s squad.

“Hopefully my representative is about to have a chat with the club about contract issues because I don’t want that to be a deciding factor, given how the club have been financially over the past few months,” James told the Portsmouth News.

James insists he is happy to stay at the club and wants to help the team that has hit rock bottom in the Premier League standings.

“I have spoken to the manager and I told him that at no point did I want to go. My family is sorted out down here so I want to stay.

“I want to stay here until the end of the season, do well, stay up, go to the World Cup and worry about next season afterwards.

“My only concerns were that there might be a power above us that might have dictated things.

“It was definitely an issue and given that we would have been outside the transfer window, then sitting on the bench or not even sitting on the bench would not have done me any good in trying to help Portsmouth stay up or trying to get in the England squad for the World Cup.

“The Premier League rulings allow us to do contract renegotiations outside of the transfer window and we will get it sorted out because I don’t want the club worrying about it and I don’t want to be worrying about it myself.

“Without being funny, I’m not the richest man in the world but if there is a financial burden that the club can’t suffer, then why should I be taking the mickey?”