Avram Grant yet to decide if he wants Portsmouth manager's job

Avram Grant was last night keeping Portsmouth waiting after finally being offered the chance to replace Paul Hart in the Fratton Park hot-seat.

Former Chelsea boss Grant, who was made Pompey’s Director of Football last month, believed he had been overlooked when he was not informed of Hart’s sacking on Tuesday.

Far from being party to the decision, the Israeli was heading to Germany where he watched his former club Maccabi Haifa in Champions League action against Bayern Munich last night.

It was not until yesterday, 24 hours after Hart was axed, that Pompey contacted Grant to offer him the job.

But Grant, still awaiting Home Office clearance and a work permit to take up his initial role, is determined to think things over before rushing into an agreement he may regret given the club’s parlous financial position.

Portsmouth are still subject to a Premier League transfer embargo, with a number of clubs and agents still owed money over signings made under the previous regime headed by Alexandre Gaydamak.

The Israeli is looking for assurances that he will be able to do the job properly and have money, if needed, in the January transfer window to help him get the club off the foot of the table and into a survival spot.

Grant is aware of the irony that his first game in charge could be against Sir Alex Ferguson, the rival manager for his last game as Chelsea chief in the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow, which the Blues lost after John Terry slipped taking when the potentially-winning shoot-out penalty.

But Portsmouth, who have won just twice in 13 games so far, also face Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal next month, in addition to must-win games with Burnley, Sunderland and West Ham.

Grant is aware that he would have the backing of the dressing room, where senior figures have persuaded their colleagues he has the know-how required, and is likely to accept the challenge, but not before making the club sweat a bit.

Hart, meanwhile, is set to reject the chance to stay at the club in his former technical director role - after forcing another embarrassing U-turn.

Portsmouth announced on Tuesday that he had dismissed the offer after being relieved of his duties, which was not true as he had asked for time to consider his position.

Now, though, Hart is understood to be minded to turn the opportunity down and make a clean break from the club in the wake of his sacking.

And on a day that summed up the mess Portsmouth are in on and off the pitch, the city was ruled out of the race to be a potential host for games in the 2018 World Cup after the local council refused to provide financial guarantees, fearing the bid was too much of a risk.

Today is the deadline for potential host cities to apply to World Cup bid chiefs but plans to renovate Fratton Park as part of the bidding process have now been stymied by Portsmouth City Council.

The 15 cities expected to submit applications to become a host venue are Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle-Gateshead, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield and Sunderland, with the announcement of the winning cities due on December 16.