On 22 October, Portsmouth issued a statement declaring "it appears likely that the club will now be closed down and liquidated by the administrators", but Pompey creditor Alexandre Gaydamak announced the next day that he had reached an agreement that could save their future.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.

Portsmouth had previously stated that any contracts due to expire at the end of the 2009–10 season would not be renewed due to their financial problems, and that they hoped to sign a new squad on free transfers and sell their squad from last year.

[3] Since Portsmouth were under a transfer embargo, they initially were not allowed to buy players or sign free agents as they could not guarantee the PFA that the wages for the players could be paid.