EDDIE Mitchell insisted he was powerless to stand in the way of Jason Pearce’s move to Portsmouth and admitted he wanted to see the popular defender further his career.

Pearce yesterday penned a three-year deal at Fratton Park, returning to the club where he started his career before signing for Cherries in 2007.

It brought to an end a transfer saga that saw Pearce’s proposed move to Championship new boys Peterborough United earlier this month hit the buffers due to the discovery of a 50 per cent sell on clause in the 23-year-old’s Cherries contract.

That entitled Portsmouth to half of any transfer fee for Pearce and the clause is likely to have brought down Cherries’ return for the star. The fee from yesterday’s move was undisclosed but it believed to have been in the region of £300,000.

Mitchell told the Echo: “It’s an offer which we found acceptable bearing in mind where Jason is with his career.

“We have to take that into consideration. Unfortunately, when you are a player as committed to this club as he has been over the past four years, it’s very difficult for anyone like me to stand in his way.

“It’s a reasonable fee and we want to see him progress. Unfortunately, the club that came in for him is bigger than we are and it took his fancy.

“Football is a pecking order to some degree and although there are some you can resist, there are some you can’t.

“I think it would have been unfair and unwise to try to stop Jason’s progress while there was a bid on the table which was a reasonable fee.”

Meanwhile, Cherries are understood to have had a bid for AFC Wimbledon star Steven Gregory turned down by the League Two new boys.

The offer, believed to have been in the region of £50,000, was deemed too low by the Dons although the Echo understands the deal could yet be re-ignited.

It is believed boss Lee Bradbury has watched the imposing midfielder several times and sees him as an ideal replacement for Danny Hollands, who left for Charlton Athletic earlier this month.