Football: Portsmouth recruit Chapman to replace Whittingham

LEE CHAPMAN, Leeds' leading scorer for the past three seasons and a fixture in their championship side, last night became Guy Whittingham's replacement at Portsmouth in a pounds 250,000 deal and makes his debut at Wycombe today.

The veteran striker turned down West Ham, who pipped Portsmouth for promotion to the Premier League. Pompey thus become Chapman's ninth club in a career which has brought him 182 League goals.

Sheffield United yesterday recruited two defenders - David Tuttle, the Tottenham centre-back, and Jonas Wirmola, from the Swedish club Sparvagens. Tuttle will cost pounds 350,000 plus pounds 100,000 after an agreed number of games, and Wirmola pounds 50,000. United's injured captain, Brian Gayle, may miss the first two months of the season.

George Graham, the Arsenal manager, has criticised the pounds 5,000 fine imposed by the Football Association on Ian Wright for making an obscene gesture to a linesman in the FA Cup final replay in May. 'How they can charge Ian and not the other guy - when a player had his nose broken in the same game - is beyond me,' Graham said. Andy Linighan sustained the injury in a challenge by the Sheffield Wednesday striker, Mark Bright.

Wednesday's Nigel Pearson, who broke a leg in February, has been told to rest for a further month. Ray Walker, Port Vale's captain, is out for the season with cruciate damage.

Sunderland have completed the pounds 450,000 signing of Oxford's Welsh international centre-back Andrew Melville, with Anton Rogan, valued at pounds 250,000, moving in part-exchange. Istvan Kozma, the Liverpool midfielder, has joined Ujpest Te, in his native Hungary, after work-permit problems.

Coventry are to take the versatile Stockport duo, Paul R Williams and Jim Gannon, on loan. Michael Gilkes snubbed Reading's photocall because of a pay dispute. The club said the winger was 'finished' with them.

Bernard Tapie, Marseille's president, was questioned yesterday by the judge investigating France's match- fixing scandal over allegations that he tried to persuade Boro Primorac, the Valenciennes coach, to take responsibility for the affair.