ALEXANDRE GAYDAMAK, the new co-owner of Portsmouth, warned supporters yesterday that he is no Roman Abramovich, and the latest news of potential signings by Harry Redknapp bears that out. None of the players being linked with the club are likely to spark a bidding war with José Mourinho, the Chelsea manager. Enquiries have been made about Benni McCarthy, of Porto, and Dean Ashton, of Norwich City, but Sean Davis, the Tottenham Hotspur midfield player, remains the most likely arrival in the next few days.

Gaydamak was speaking publicly for the first time since news broke of his acquisition of a 50 per cent stake in the Premiership club. He came across as modest and quietly spoken but well-briefed, neatly sidestepping questions about the potential involvement behind the scenes of his father, Arcadi, and debts owed to HM Revenue and Customs by a wound-up company of which he was a director.

“I’m aware of this situation and my lawyers are dealing with it,” he said. “It’s not me owing it. My father’s businesses and mine are two completely separate issues.”

As for Abramovich, the Chelsea owner: “I have the utmost respect for the gentleman and I admire him very much, but I’m in a different league,” Gaydamak said. “I do my little business and run it the way I run it. The comparison is uncomfortable.”

But if Gaydamak could not promise the fans a fortune to spend on players, he credited them for his decision to invest. “From the passion aspect, we have unique, probably the best, fans in all the country,” he said. “I was at the game (at home to West Ham United) and it was amazing. They lift the spirit of the players and the management. I grew up in France, and traditionally we have the conflict between Paris S aint-Germain and Marseilles. I was from Paris but I preferred Marseilles, because of the fans.”

He refused to discuss financial details of the deal with Milan Mandaric, the chairman, but revealed that the idea of investing in the club had first been put to him by Pini Zahavi, the Israeli agent, about six weeks ago.

“There is a challenge here and that’s what I’m interested in,” Gaydamak said. “At this stage it’s clear that we have to remain in the Premiership, and that’s the first target. For next season, we’ll start planning in the summer and see what we want to achieve.”

Gaydamak will draw on the knowledge of Mandaric, who remains chairman, while he learns the ropes, although his base will remain in London. “It’s important for me to have a partner of the quality of our chairman, someone who can take me through some of the nuances of the administration of a Premiership club.”

He met Redknapp for the first time on Thursday. “He explained the situation and I felt extremely comfortable with him. Milan has told me that he is a great coach, a great manager, in some ways a historical figure in the region.”

Interest in Ashton has grown since McCarthy reconsidered a decision not to play for South Africa in the African Nations Cup, to which Portsmouth have already lost Lomano LuaLua, although Benjani Mwaruwari, the club’s record signing, is considering withdrawing from the Zimbabwe squad.

Perhaps it because Mwaruwari’s surname is a bit of a mouthful that Gaydamak could not name him, or any other Portsmouth player, and he admitted that he had not been to many games since attending his first Premiership match in 1996 — Wimbledon against opponents he cannot recall. Nevertheless, Mandaric felt that his new partner had handled his debut with flying colours, and hinted that Gaydamak would eventually assume full control of the club.

“You can see you have a very bright, sensible person in front of you,” Mandaric said. “And one day, when I decide to leave and finish my mission, and go and buy Southampton — ha, ha, ha — then I don’t have to worry about the hands I have left my beloved club in.”