Pompey's recent troubles are well documented, with the Premier League's bottom club experiencing difficulties both on and off the field. Three changes in ownership since the summer have failed to steady the ship, with the South Coast club struggling to pay player salaries and currently working under a transfer embargo. The ongoing problems have fuelled speculation that Avram Grant will be forced to part with a number of his most saleable assets during the January transfer window. The likes of Younes Kaboul, John Utaka, David James and Nadir Belhadj are all reported to be attracting interest from afar, but strike ace Smith admits the club cannot afford to part with any more senior stars if they have any aspirations of beating the drop. "Obviously, we have lost a lot of players, but certainly the nucleus of the squad is strong so hopefully we can be kept together," he told The News. "It's especially important with the lads going to the African Cup of Nations. We are down to our bare bones to be honest so we can't really afford to lose too many more. "You want to keep your best players, obviously, so fingers crossed we can get out of this month pretty much unscathed. "You look at Younes and he is a very good player, he's got everything to be honest. He's an incredible athlete and a good footballer at that. "I can see interest in him, certainly, so hopefully we can hang onto him and the better players in the team. "He's been one of the best players this season and comes up with some goals as well at the other end, which is worth its weight in gold in defenders. "To be honest, I don't really know the situation among players about who needs to go and if any at all. I just hope we can keep everyone here." While Smith is keen to remain positive, Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie has hinted that sales may be necessary to help balance the books. "The reality has to be that (selling players) is a possibility," he said "One or two may have to go, but it all depends on the finance position. Obviously, if the owners can bring in the new finance they are working so hard on then perhaps that may not need to happen. "But if the way forward to keep this club alive is to sell a couple of players again, then I think we have to do that."
