It is not often that Harry Redknapp is left in the dark. He has been the unofficial king of the managerial wheelers and dealers for many years and few are more adept at navigating the turbulent waters of the transfer market.

Yesterday, though, the Portsmouth manager admitted that he is not sure how much money he has left to spend at Fratton Park. Despite the sale of Sulley Muntari, the Ghana midfield player, to Inter Milan for a club record fee of about £12.7million, Redknapp has yet to be told the size of his funds for reinvestment.

He had hoped that the bulk of the money - once Udinese, Muntari's previous club, had received their payment due on a sell-on clause - would go to him for strengthening his squad. However, Alexandre Gaydamak, Portsmouth's millionaire owner, has yet to give him the go-ahead.

“The idea when I sold Sulley was that there would be money for two or three new players,” Redknapp said. “Now we'll have to wait and see if that happens. I've lost Sulley and that has weakened the team. I might have to look at cheaper options if it [the money] isn't there. But we're definitely short, desperately short. We need another centre half, we need wide players in midfield, we need a left back. At present, I don't think we have a squad who are going to challenge next season. We're three players short of being a decent team.”

As well as facing campaigns in the three domestic competitions, Portsmouth, the FA Cup holders, will also play in the Uefa Cup for the first time. Redknapp has signed Peter Crouch, from Liverpool, for £11million, Glen Little, a free transfer from Reading, and Ben Sahar on loan from Chelsea.

Yet he needs clarification - and soon - from Gaydamak if he is to complete his wheeling and dealing for the summer. “There is a lack of any cover or depth [to the squad],” Redknapp said. “It is going to be a tough league and with the Uefa Cup and the games we have, we're going to need three players if we are going to be any kind of force.”