• Portsmouth improve financial situation through sales
• West Ham complete protracted deal for Benni McCarthy

Portsmouth’s short-term financial concerns were eased, if only slightly, last night by the sale of their promising young goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to Stoke City for £3.25m in a move that re-establishes David James as first-choice at Fratton Park.

Begovic completed his move minutes before the passing of the 5pm transfer deadlineafter a day of frantic and occasionally fractious negotiations to provide Pompey, bottom of the Premier League and laden with debts of around £60m, with a timely injection of funds.

“Asmir is someone we have been tracking for some time and we believe that, potentially, he is the best young keeper in the country,” said the Stoke manager, Tony Pulis.

James, who had also been attracting interest from Stoke, will now remain at the club as No1 and may renegotiate his contract to remove a clause that would have seen his deal extended automatically should he play a further 10 games this season. That should ensure that, injuries permitting, he will be playing regularly ahead of the World Cup finals in the summer.

Players and staff at the stricken south coast club have still to be paid wages for January, though the Premier League has earmarked £1.8m from the £6m Portsmouth received from the sale of Younes Kaboul back to Tottenham Hotspur. A further £2.5m of that amount will go directly to Chelsea and Watford as the latest tranche of the money owed on the transfers of Glen Johnson, Mike Williamson and Tommy Smith, with the remainder to be channeled directly to Her Majesty’s ­Revenue and Customs.

The Premier League is aware that a further £12.5m in payments is due before the end of the season to clubs in relation to previous transfers, £4m of which is due to Udinese, Rennes and Lens in mid-March. A payment of £9m which the club’s former owner, Sacha Gaydamak, claimed was due at the end of January has also apparently not been met as yet.

While Portsmouth’s attempts to avoid relegation have been weakened over the transfer window, West Ham United’s desperation to remain in the top flight prompted the club’s new owners, David Gold and David Sullivan, to sanction the arrival of three new strikers before last night’s deadline. Benni McCarthy completed his £2.5m move from Blackburn Rovers on a two-and-a-half-year deal and was joined by the much-travelled Middlesbrough forward Mido, who had his loan deal moved from Cairo’s El Zamalek, and the ­Brazilian Ilan, who had been released by the French club St Etienne.

Fulham signed the Roma forward Stefano Okaka and Aston Villa’s former England full-back Nicky Shorey on loan deals, with the youngster Christopher Buchtmann moving to Craven Cottage from Liverpool. Roy Hodgson trimmed his squad to make way for the new arrivals by loaning Diomansy Kamara to Celtic, Tony Kallio to Sheffield United and Wayne Brown to Bristol Rovers.

Wolves‘ attempts to add to their ranks were frustrated after a £5m offer for Hull City’s Stephen Hunt was rejected, while the Crystal Palace full-back Nathaniel Clyne declined a move to Molineux.

Wigan Athletic added to their forward ranks by securing the Bolivia forward Marcelo Morena on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk, joining the £2.5m forward Victor Moses at the DW Stadium.

Transfer windowPortsmouthStoke CityWest Ham UnitedFulhamBlackburn RoversPremier LeagueDominic FifieldOwen Gibsonguardian.co.uk

• Carling Cup semi-final postponed because of bad weather
• No decision yet taken on Manchester derby tomorrow

Blackburn have confirmed that tonight’s Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Aston Villa has been postponed because of bad weather. The decision was taken in conjunction with the Police Match Commander on the grounds of public safety and following consultation with the Football League.

The club said on its website this morning: “It is still snowing heavily in Blackburn, as it has been all morning, and advice locally is not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary and in addition severe weather warnings have being issued throughout the country. The weather forecast for the day states that we can expect more snow and freezing temperatures in Lancashire and that heavy snow is expected in the Midlands later in the day and will continue throughout the evening and early hours of Wednesday morning.

“Whilst the Ewood Park pitch is playable we believe it would be unadvisable to expect fans, staff etc to attempt to get to the match. Even if fans are able to get to Ewood Park we would not like to speculate on what type of journey home they may face at 10.00pm tonight when temperatures will be sub-zero.

“Further information concerning rearrangement of the fixture will follow in due course. Match tickets will be valid for the rearranged fixture but fans who have purchased tickets and are unable to attend on the new date, can obtain a refund by applying to the ticket office in advance of the fixture.”

Stoke’s Premier League game against Fulham could also be in danger of being called off. A statement on Stoke’s website said: “While the pitch itself is in good condition, staff are currently working to keep all the major approaches to the stadium clear of any snow and ice. The club are, however, aware of the forecast of snow late in the day and are keeping a close eye on bad weather affecting the north of the region.”

Manchester City, meanwhile, have been forced to close their ticket office and city centre shop due to the conditions. There is no indication yet whether tomorrow’s game against Manchester United will go ahead or not and tickets for the match are still available online.

A rugby league friendly between Leigh and Super League side Salford, originally scheduled for December 27 but rearranged for tonight, has also been called off.

Carling CupBlackburn RoversAston VillaWeatherMarcus Christensonguardian.co.uk

• Blackburn manager won’t let matter rest
• ‘I’ve never spoken to Trapattoni and I don’t want to’

Sam Allardyce has demanded an apology from the Republic of Ireland manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, after labelling the Italian’s comments about Steven Reid “disgusting”.

Reid, 28, has made two Carling Cup appearances in nearly a year after sustaining a serious knee injury, and saw his first-team comeback hindered recently with a niggling Achilles tendon complaint. Trapattoni cast doubt on whether Reid would ever be able to return to his best, saying a full recovery would be “very, very difficult”, but Allardyce responded forcefully, and even demanded action from the Football Association of Ireland and Trapattoni.

“It’s disgraceful, completely out of order,” said the Blackburn Rovers manager, whose side face Chelsea in tomorrow’s late kick-off.

“He’s not talking correctly in terms of Steven’s injury. What he is saying is completely untrue and something he should apologise for. He has undermined us as a football club, undermined Steven as a player and he has really been very, very naughty in what he has said. He should make a public apology and hopefully that will be the end of it.

“Steven has had a long haul and he’s trying to resurrect his career and secure a new contract. He also wants to play for his country as he has done many, many times and given his all on every occasion. There’s no player more honest than Steven and to be dealt that sort of a blow at this stage, when he’s not feeling the best, trying to come back from a big injury and picking up another little niggle, is very, very disrespectful to say the least. It’s disgusting.”

Reid confessed to be being “amazed” at Trapattoni’s diagnosis, but insisted he was desperate to play in the Republic’s World Cup qualifying play-off against France next month. Allardyce commended his man for tact but insisted he would not let the matter lie. “That’s the mark of Steven for you,” he said. “Perhaps I haven’t got the same dignity as Steven. Perhaps I just speak it as I see it. Perhaps he’s more sensible than me.

“I think his association should bring him to task. I think we as a football club should bring him to task and make him justify what he has said, but the thing is he can’t. I’ve never spoken to him and after what he’s said I don’t want to. Steven’s had a very difficult time and the last thing he needed was to sit down and read his international manager trying to write him off.”

Blackburn are looking to collect a first away point of the season at Stamford Bridge, but face the stern test without their Italian forward Franco Di Santo, who is ineligible to face his parent club, as well as Vince Grella and, possibly, full-back Pascal Chimbonda.

Allardyce insists a shock result is still possible. He said: “We haven’t picked up a point away from home all season and Chelsea have only conceded once at home in the Premier League all season on the opening day of the season. If that doesn’t sound like a daunting task, I don’t know what does.

“But in any given game of football you can catch a team at the right time. Maybe not on their top form, maybe a little fatigued from their European efforts in midweek, maybe a few knocks. You can try to take advantage of that if your team plays their best.”

Blackburn RoversRepublic of IrelandSam AllardycePremier LeagueWorld Cup 2010guardian.co.uk