Portsmouth FC have appointed Harry Redknapp as Director of Football at Fratton Park after holding a press conference at the club this morning.
Redknapp had been strongly linked with the managerial vacancy at Southampton but he has chosen to move into a new role with Pompey where he will be working alongside team manager Graham Rix.
According to the club's official website, Redknapp has been given a three-year contract to 'oversee the entire football operation at Fratton Park off the field of play', leaving Rix, the recently installed manager to concentrate on first-team training and team selection.
Having left West Ham United in May, after seven years in charge at Upton Park, Redknapp had already indicated that he might not return to football management but the new position at Portsmouth seemed ideal.
"I said when I left West Ham that I would not be looking to continue the day-to-day involvement of being a manager," Redknapp declared.
However, earlier this week he had confirmed: "I would be interested in taking up the role of director of football at Portsmouth if I was offered the job."
Redknapp and Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric have known each other for some time and are believed to have remained in contact over the last couple of years.
It is also a convenient move for the former Hammers boss who lives in nearby Bournemouth on the South Coast. The club are hopeful that the wealth of experience and numerous contacts Redknapp has built up over nearly 18 years in management will enable them to attract quality players and challenge at the top end of the First Division, having narrowly avoided relegation last term.
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