James had been lined up for a move to the Britannia Stadium as manager Tony Pulis sought to increase competition for places in his squad. Pulis was hoping to wrap up the deal in time for the 39-year-old to be available to face his former club Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime. However, the switch was not finalised before Friday's noon deadline, prompting Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes to confirm that the deal is now off. It is understood that a failure to agree on a deal with Pompey regarding James' wages was also a factor behind the collapse of the loan. The transfer to Stoke was viewed as an ideal move for all parties with James looking to impress to guarantee his place in the England squad for the World Cup in South Africa. The keeper has made just one first-team appearance in the past two months due to injury, while his departure from Fratton Park would also have helped to ease Pompey's financial troubles. And Pulis was keen to add James to his squad due to rumours concerning the future of Stoke's current No.1 Thomas Sorensen. The Denmark international has been linked with German giants Bayern Munich and Pulis was wary about being left with Steve Simonsen as his only senior keeper.
