The former Chelsea manager Avram Grant has returned to Portsmouth as director of football, to work alongside the manager Paul Hart.
The 54-year-old Israeli occupied the same role at Fratton Park from 2006 to 2007 before succeeding José Mourinho as manager of Chelsea.
It is the first significant move since Ali al-Faraj completed his 90% buy-out of the club earlier this week. Grant, who took Chelsea to the 2008 Champions League final, will work with Hart on player recruitment – but his presence is also likely to increase speculation over Hart's future, the club having lost their opening seven games of the season.
The Portsmouth and England goalkeeper David James welcomed the move. "I love Avram, he's a great guy. When I first joined the club he was there and he was very active in preparation for matches. He's a very wise man; his football knowledge is immense. It's a very good move."
James is hopeful Grant's arrival and the takeover by Faraj will bring some much-needed stability to the club.
"The non-pay issue was not good," he added. "The people who needed to get paid got paid but it was more the bigger picture. Now we've got our first win and our first clean sheet, it's a much happier place."