DIARRA JOINS POMPEY...AND ALREADY WANTS TO LEAVE

Lassana Diarra will never be a diplomat. Whereas most players commemorate their unveiling at a new club with worn-out clichés of loyalty and ambition, the midfielder marked his first day at Portsmouth by issuing what amounted to a transfer request.


Apparently disregarding the fact that in the last six months he has successfully agitated his way out of Chelski and Arsenal, Diarra snubbed convention by putting pen to paper on a three-year deal on the south coast and then immediately declaring he was ready to leave.


"The people at Portsmouth know that I will not spend my life at the club," he confirmed. "I was able to add a clause to my contract. If I shine, if a really big club wants me, I already know that everything will go well. I don't want any more battles."


With Pompey short of players due to African Nations Cup commitment and Diarra desperate to play first-team football in order to secure a starting spot for France during the forthcoming Euro 2008 championships, their marriage is one of convenience. Yet it remains to be seen just how sympathetically the Fratton Park public will regard the 22-year-old's extraordinary pronouncements.


Another curiosity of the Diarra deal is the size of it. Having been acquired from Chelski by Arsenal on the last day of the August transfer window for a fee of around £2m, the Gunners have managed to persuade Pompey to spend £5.5m despite Diarra playing less than eight hours of football over the past five months.