PETER REID took just 20 minutes to persuade a three-man Home Office panel to grant a work permit to Brazilian World Cup winner Roque Junior.

The Leeds United manager travelled to the Sheffield hearing to plead the AC Milan defender's case after the clubs agreed a season-long loan arrangement.

With the loan signings of Salomon Olembe and Cyril Chapuis from Marseille also completed, Reid said: "These players give us options, strength in depth and quality."

The exit door at Elland Road was also open during yesterday's transfer deadline day, with goalkeeper Nigel Martyn moving to Everton for £250,000, although defender Ian Harte's proposed loan move to Portsmouth fell through.

Nevertheless, Reid was happy with his juggling stint in the transfer market.

"I am delighted with the Department of Employment's decision to allow Roque Junior a work permit," he said.

"I would have been amazed if the appeal had been turned down because we are talking about a World Cup winner who played in the Champions League final for AC Milan in May.

"The only reason his original application was rejected was that he hadn't played 75 per cent of Brazil's internationals in the last year, but that was because he was injured and missed the Concacaf Cup this summer."

Roque Junior earns £40,000 per week in Milan but Leeds are being helped out by the Italian club to pay his wages. The 26-year-old could make his debut against Leicester a week on Monday and can expect a heavy workload with Lucas Radebe's appearances restricted by on-going knee problems.

Striker Chapuis, who has also played for Niort and Rennes, has scored just four goals in 42 games for Marseille but was played out of position last season.

Reid said: "Cyril is a terrific holding-up player. His signing gives us another option up front.

"He is another one we've been able to get because of the change of coach at Marseille. It gives Michael Bridges that extra time to get fully fit and me another option up front which I didn't have."

Midfielder Olembe, also from Marseille, is a 22-year-old Cameroon international.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has spoken of his frustration at not being able to sign Leeds left-back Harte on loan.

The proposed move fell through yesterday after club officials realised only two domestic loan players can be brought in by a Premiership club at any one time.

Portsmouth and Leeds were unaware that the rule covered Nationwide players as well.

Pompey already had Chelsea's Alkexei Smertin and completed a deal for West Brom's Jason Roberts before going for Harte, who has played twice for Leeds this season but will slip further down the pecking order now Roque Junior has joined.

On his way out of Elland Road is former England goalkeeper Martyn, who ends a seven-year stint with Leeds. The 37-year-old fans favourite had lost his first-team place to Paul Robinson last season. He turned down a move to Chelsea in the summer to stay in the north, and moves to Goodison as competition to Richard Wright.

The Professional Footballers' Association have registered concern about the host of long-term loan deals between Premiership clubs.

The PFA believe such deals, including Francis Jeffers' return to Everton from Arsenal, could lead to controversial showdowns. PFA deputy chief executive Mick Mc-Guire said: "Apart from losing the identity of your team we could have a situation where a player could score or give away a goal which affects the team he has come from."

The transfer window reopens on January 1.

Updated: 11:03 Tuesday, September 02, 2003