Ex Chelsea Boss Avram Grant Now In Talks With Portsmouth To Succeed Paul Hart

Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant is now heavy favourite to take over from sacked Portsmouth manager Paul Hart at Fratton Park after Hart was dismissed from his post on Tuesday, with Grant now reportedly in talks with the Portsmouth board regarding the job.

Paul Hart was the first Premier League manager to lose his job in the 2009/10 Premiership season after he was given his marching orders by the Portmouth board on Tuesday after a string of bad results, which sees Portsmouth rooted at the bottom of the EPL with just two wins from their 13 matches so far this season.

A statement released on the official Portsmouth FC site explained his departure, with Pompey's chief executive Peter Storrie saying: "Paul has worked under very difficult circumstances with the financial restrictions the club has faced since he took over.

"However, the board feels that the team should have accrued more points to date and that we need a new man in charge to ensure survival.

"The board would like to thank Paul for his work not only in keeping the club in the Premier League last season but also for his time in charge of youth development.

"Paul is a man of great dignity and we hoped he would stay and help us develop younger players on the fringes of the first team. We are genuinely sad to see him leave. Everyone at the club wishes him well for the future."

Hart, who took over from Tony Adams as Pompey boss in February 2009, has been offered the role of technical director at the club, but has so far declined the position.

First-team coaches Paul Groves and Ian Woan have taken temporary charge of the team, while there are a few big names being linked with the job.

Former Charlton Athletic and West Ham United boss Alan Curbishley has been heavily linked with the post, as is former Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson (son of Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson), who left his post at The Posh earlier this month.

But it is widely expected that Portsmouth's newly appointed director of football Avram Grant, who joined Pompey in early October following the takeover of the club by Saudi Arabian businessman Ali al-Faraj, will replace Paul Hart at the helm at Fratton Park and is bookies favourite to take charge of the club in the next few days.

The 54-year-old former Israel and Chelsea head coach has a proven track record in management and is now reportedly undergoing talks with the South coast side regarding becoming the new Portsmouth manager.