James Could Stay at Pompey
David James' agent has revealed that he could still stay at Portsmouth despite the clubs unflattering relegation from the Premier League last season.
James remains one of the best goalkeepers in the country and although he is not getting any younger, he will be a very attractive player to possibly sign for a number of other clubs.
Portsmouth may be forced into letting a few more players leave the club as they try to seek further financial reassurance as the club are still deep in turmoil in this area.
James has a number of qualities that would make him appealing to a variety of different clubs. However, it's very important to consider what it would mean for the side if he stays on at Portsmouth and sees out the rest of his career at the South coast club.
Appealing
James would be an appealing proposition for a number of reasons. At this stage in his career he is not likely to be worried about high wages. This means that he could be willing to sign for a much smaller club than Portsmouth.
He has the experience to do well regardless of where he is playing football. He was still England's goalkeeper at the World Cup, which proves he has the quality. He can use his experience to help other members of any team come into the side and do well.
He still has the ambition to do well and succeed. This would make him a good choice between the sticks for a team trying to get into Europe in the Premier League or trying to get into the Premier League from the Championship.
He is one of the most commanding goalkeepers of a penalty area. He is able to read the play and tell his defence what is going on so they can get into position. This is important in convincing the people who may still think that the world 'calamity' can relate to him at times.
Staying On
If the player decides to stay on at Portsmouth then it will be a huge boost to the fans. They already see him as a legend but the point is that there are very few examples of loyalty in football and this would be one that James would be highly respected for.
He is settled at the club and does not have much longer left to play during his career. This means he may not think it necessary to move if he is going to retire in the next one or two seasons. A move would mean changing the way he lives, works and operates, which would hardly be ideal.
There are talks and rumours that James could well go onto become Portsmouth boss once he does finally retire. If he stays at the club then he will be in a much stronger position to make this happen than if he walked away from the club and then tried to come back again at some point further down the line.
Get a bet on James having one of the highest shot stopping statistics at the end of the season because he is still a very good goalkeeper regardless of where he is going to play his football.
The odds for Portsmouth staying in the Championship will be interesting and you could go either way over this option. If James stays at the club then they'll have a better chance of staying up. No one will blame you if you want to wait and see where James go or how Portsmouth start the season.
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