Portsmouth pin hopes on Benjani

Portsmouth FC have pipped Olympique de Marseille to the signature of AJ Auxerre striker Benjani Mwaruwari, with the English club paying a club record €6m for the Zimbabwean.

Santini factor
Benjani did not feature last night as Auxerre defeated AS Monaco FC to climb to second place in Ligue 1, meaning he has started just half of the Burgundy club's 20 league fixtures this season, scoring once. The 27-year-old struck eleven times in the top flight last term, but has not found life as comfortable under Jacques Santini - who prefers a strike partnership of Luyindula and Luigi Pieroni - as he did when Guy Roux was in charge.

'Very happy'
"I am very happy to join Portsmouth," Benjani said at his unveiling today, which coincided with the first appearance of the club's 29-year-old new co-owner Alexandre Gaydamak. "I have always watched English football," the striker added. "I had a chance to join Marseille but I preferred to come here because I speak English and my French was still bad."

'Quick and strong'
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, who earlier this week signed the Poland striker Emmanuel Olisadebe as he looks to guide the south-coast club out of the Premiership relegation zone, said of Benjani: "He's quick and strong, can play and join in with other people. I spoke to [Arsenal FC manager] Arsène Wenger about him last week. He told me if you can get him, get the next plane over there and bring him back."

Champions League first
The first Zimbabwean to play in the UEFA Champions League, during a disappointing loan spell with Grasshopper-Club in Switzerland, Benjani will fly to Egypt today to represent his country at the forthcoming African Cup of Nations. The transfer is still subject to a work permit being granted and international clearance.