Is Portsmouth big enough for Lassana Diarra?

Lassana Diarra started the domestic season with a Wembley appearance and finished off at the same venue with an FA Cup winners' medal around his neck.

His first game of the season had been as a Chelsea substitute during their Community Shield defeat to Manchester United in August. On that occasion, he had replaced Ashley Cole, although it was clear that the likes of Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and Frank Lampard were ahead of him in the central midfield pecking order. A move to Arsenal followed shortly afterwards.

Despite starting both of France’s qualifying matches (against Italy and Scotland) in September, the Frenchman was having difficulty convincing Arsene Wenger that he should feature in Arsenal’s starting XI ahead of the now-departed Mathieu Flamini and Abou Diaby.

It was clear from an early stage that Diarra wasn’t prepared to bide his time on the bench, speaking to sections of the media about his disappointment not to be starting for the Gunners and causing his manager no end of grief in the process. It wasn't as though the north London side were faring too badly at the time despite only using the player sparingly.

It's not clear whether Wenger tried his utmost to hang on to Diarra during the month of January, but he was soon Portsmouth-bound, where first-team football was guaranteed by Harry Redknapp. However, the midfielder did take the unusual step of declaring that Pompey were only a stepping stone to bigger and better things, stating that he was essentially a Champions League player who was on the South Coast to make sure of his place in the France squad for Euro 2008.

Therefore, winning an FA Cup with Portsmouth has been an added bonus for Diarra, who has been outstanding for the Hampshire club in the games that he’s played this season. However, no sooner has the Cup been lifted, assistant manager Tony Adams has voiced his concern over whether the diminutive player will stick around to play UEFA Cup football at Fratton Park next season. The answer is probably not.

"If he keeps playing like that, we might lose him," Adams acknowledged. "Portsmouth need to come up to his standards."

It's a nice sentiment but one suspects that Pompey reached their peak this season by finishing eighth and winning the FA Cup. Next term, it's likely that Tottenham and Newcastle will be more formidable in the league, while the likes of Kanu, Sol Campbell and David James are nearing the end of their footballing careers.

The question is, has Diarra already decided to leave Fratton Park and if so, where is he likely to end up? You would think that staying in England would only be possible if Manchester United or Liverpool came in for him, something that is not likely, considering the respective quality of Anderson and Javier Mascherano.

A move to Spain could well be on the cards, with Real Madrid having experienced success with a similar style of player in Claude Makalele. Barcelona’s new manager Pep Guardiola was also of the same midfield ilk and it’s clear that there will be a big clear-out at the Nou Camp this summer.

The other option would be Italy, where Diarra’s former team-mate Flamini will testify that you can earn big bucks plying your trade for Milan, Inter or a Juventus.