Tottenham have signed Rafael van der Vaart after the Premier League ratified their deadline day swoop for the Real Madrid midfielder.
The north London club made an late move to sign the Netherlands international on Tuesday afternoon after manager Harry Redknapp learned of his potential availability.
Spurs were left in limbo while the league looked into whether the deal had been completed in time.
However, they have now given the transfer the green light and van der Vaart will now move to the Premier League for £8million.
"We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of Rafael van der Vaart," confirmed a brief club statement.
Van der Vaart moved to Real from Hamburg two years ago and went on to score 11 goals in 68 appearances for the La Liga giants.
He helped his country reach the World Cup final in July and came on as a substitute in the final defeat to Spain.
Speaking about the last-gasp nature of the deal, Redknapp had earlier explained:"It was a last-minute job. When I came in on Tuesday morning it wasn't something I was looking to do.
"I think he was going to Bayern Munich on Monday for £18million and suddenly he became much cheaper.
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"They let me know around 1600 BST that he was available for £8million and, for that money, he is a top player who will definitely improve us.
"The fee has come crashing down because the deadline is so close."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
I think it’s fair to say that Arsenal lost against Man City on Sunday due to the lack of firepower we currently possess.
To restrict a team that’s been scoring almost three goals a game to just one but failing to find the net ourselves is very disappointing to say the very least. However, it provides food for thought for Arsene Wenger and also shows that it’s upfront that we currently lack personnel, not in our defence.
Injuries have depleted our back-line vastly, but with none of our forwards sidelined, we still look short of options and attacking prowess. That is an important aspect for quality teams to have and Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh certainly failed to provide this yesterday afternoon in Manchester.
So in my opinion Wenger has to look into reinforcing our attacking options this January, especially with the African Cup of Nations set to handicap us even further.
So here are five possible forwards that our manager should look into singing this January:
Lukas Podolski:
Currently the name on every Arsenal fans lips, and rightly so. Anyone who is capped 95 times for Germany must have serious quality, and he would certainly help Arsenal’s fortunes upfront. The 26-year-old’s contract expires next year and it is believed that FC Koln would consider bids of around £13-17 million for their star forward this winter. Podolski can play anywhere across the frontline and he’s reaching an age where strikers are at their best. However, Wenger might have reservations about signing him given his dramatic failures at Bayern Munich, which has led many to assume that he lacks the mental strength to play for the bigger clubs. Wenger though has a reputation of bringing the best out of those who struggle, and Podolski’s recent form alone is enough to tempt the Frenchman into luring the German to London this January.
Thierry Henry:
The French striker is currently training with his former club and Wenger has recently declared that the Arsenal legend looks in good shape. I think it’s fair to say that Henry is a pale shadow of his former self, but class is permanent. The former French international is an intelligent player and at 34, he still has his goal scoring instincts intact. Furthermore, Henry would be a huge inspirational presence for our younger players and will certainly adhere to the fans as well. Wenger might need to shed a few extra bucks to loan him till the end of season, but a short-term deal is on the cards. However, if I’m not mistake, Wenger isn’t someone who looks for short-term solutions. But it happened once with Sol Campbell so why not again, this time with the club’s record goal-scorer.
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Olivier Giroud:
The Montpellier striker has fired his club to the upper echelons of Ligue 1 and has reportedly attracted interest from Newcastle and Arsenal in recent weeks. There appears to be no credibility in these rumors, but the 25-year-old would certainly appeal to Wenger given his French roots and transfer fee of around £7-10 million. Giroud certainly hasn’t got the same quality of Van Persie, but the French international would be a good understudy and back-up option for the in-form Dutchman. Giroud has the technical ability and intelligence to succeed at Arsenal and is my personal choice, along with Podolski, to join The Gunners this January.
Matias Suarez:
Very few Arsenal fans are aware of this 23-year-old Anderlecht striker, but Wenger has reportedly got scouts watching him at the moment. Touted as someone in the Javier Hernandez mould, Suarez would be available for as little as £6 million. The departure of Lukaku has allowed Suarez to flourish and you can always bet on the Anderlecht academy to have imparted him with good technical skills and ability. He’d certainly want to move to a club like Arsenal and looks like someone Wenger likes to sign – he’s young, technical and cheap.
Marco Reus:
One of the breakthrough players in the Bundesliga this season, the Borussia Mönchengladbach striker is one of the hottest properties in European football. The German is being linked with a move to Bayern Munich, but will find it hard to establish himself in a star studded line-up. The 22-year-old also has a £16 million release clause in his contract that reportedly comes into effect this summer. Though an extremely costly target, the German international has the talent to become one of the best players in world football. If Wenger decides to move for him in January, then he may have to pay up to £30 million due to his club performances this season and I don’t think there is any realistic chance for us to land him, as he is being chased by a lot of big clubs.
If Wenger is looking beyond the African Cup, then the Frenchman has options like Moussa Sow , Salomon Kalou and many others to look at.
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No matter how much he snubs talks of players coming in January, I’ve seen enough from Wenger’s press conferences to suggest that he’s aware of his team’s shortcomings. I am pretty sure that Wenger is searching for reinforcements and trust him to make the right moves this winter.
Article courtesy of Vivek Arulnathan from Gunnersphere
West Bromwich Albion manager Roy Hodgson still believes in Fernando Torres as a top-class striker.Hodgson says the Spanish finishers will prove value for money despite not scoring since his 50 million pound move to Chelsea from Liverpool last January.
Hodgson, speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Chelsea on Saturday, admitted that Torres’ current poor form does not come as a surprise to him.
But the former Fulham and Liverpool manager, who managed Torres at Anfield this season, believes the 27-year-old striker will prove a bargain when he rediscovers his confidence.
“(Torres’ current form) doesn’t surprise me because he didn’t have a good time at Liverpool from the start of the season,” Hodgson said.
“He has moved to Chelsea and everybody was hoping it was going to be night and day in terms of how he performed and it’s not.”
“Fernando is working hard, like he did for Liverpool, and it’s not working for him.”
Hodgson is hoping the Spaniard does not hit a vein of form on Saturday as Chelsea look to bounce back from their Champions League exit at the hands of Manchester United.
“Chelsea will get a lot of value from Fernando Torres and I think, even between now and the end of the season, you will see him scoring goals and doing a great job for the team,” he added.
“But I would rather he had scored a few goals before Saturday because it’s sod’s law that his first goal will come against me.”
The 63-year-old, meanwhile, has praised his home fans for their raucous support in recent weeks and called on them to continue making the Hawthorns a difficult place for visiting teams.
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“We have great respect for Chelsea and know to beat them is going to be a massive task,” he said.
“With that type of support behind us, we might be able to pull off another surprise result.”
Cameroon midfielder Somen Tchoyi is expected to return for West Brom after missing two games to be with his sick wife while Scottish midfielder Graham Dorrans is still missing with an ankle injury, although he is hopeful of returning before the end of the season.
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has suggested that Fabio Capello showed David Beckham a lack of respect in effectively ending his international career.
Capello suggested that Beckham was "probably too old" to continue playing competitive international football in a television interview before Wednesday's friendly victory over Hungary.
The 35-year-old former captain immediately issued a statement claiming he was not ready to retire from international football despite missing the World Cup finals with an Achilles injury.
Capello's decision to effectively end Beckham's 115-cap England career without informing the former captain has been widely condemned and now Eriksson has added his voice to those criticising the Italian.
When asked whether he would have spoken personally to Beckham, Eriksson told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme:"If it's a player with 20 to 50 caps or more, then yes, absolutely.
"I did it many times. David Seaman was one of them.
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"From my point of view, I would do it because I want to show respect to the players – especially those who have done a lot of good things for England in the past.
"David Beckham deserves all the respect you can give to him."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Tottenham winger Gareth Bale has stated that the side’s defensive efforts are the platform for the club’s renowned attacking abilities.
With the likes of Rafael van der Vaart, Aaron Lennon, Jermain Defoe and Luka Modric supporting main striker Emmanuel Adebayor, the North London outfit have won 10 out of their last 11 games and sit in third place in the Premier League standings.
Bale has scored five league goals this season and created a number of others, but he was quick to hail the efforts of his backline as the reason the attacking players are given free reign to play.
“I just think we’ve got the balance right,” the wideman told the club’s official website.
“We’ve Scott Parker in the team now and he covers every blade of grass, closes everyone down and gives us that security in midfield.
“Younes [Kaboul] and Ledley [King] have been great, Brad and the full-backs have been playing well and that gives us front five the licence to attack as much as we can and that has got us the goals.
“We’re all playing with so much confidence at the moment.
“Even if we’re on the back foot or teams are attacking us, we’ve got the pace to hit them on the counter-attack. It’s good to have that in our armoury,” he concluded.
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Spurs take on Stoke on Sunday, with their defensive qualities set to be put under pressure by the direct nature of Tony Pulis’ men.
LDU Quito’s up-and-down Copa Libertadores campaign took a turn for the better, while Estudiantes had their own big win on Thursday.Ecuadorian side LDU Quito strengthened their spot at the top of the Group 8 table after trouncing Uruguayan outfit Penarol 5-0 at home, in a game that lacked for nothing.The 2008 Copa winners – who have now won two and lost two in their group games – took at 22nd-minute lead through Carlos Luna, though the Argentine striker had to be substituted through injury two minutes after breaking the deadlock.It mattered little for the 29-year-old’s side, however, with replacement Walter Calderon doubling LDU Quito’s advantage in first-half extra time.On-loan Reggina defender Carlos Valdez then put through his own net to compound Penarol’s woes, with a Hernan Barcos penalty and another strike from veteran striker Calderon making the scoreline complete.The only negative for LDU was the straight red card handed to substitute midfielder Fernando Hidalgo, but it did little to stop his team-mates running out comprehensive winners.Penarol sink to third on the table due to a poor goal difference, though they are level with both LDU Quito and Argentine club Godoy Cruz on six points.Not to be outdone, Estudiantes put five goals of their own past Paraguayans Guarani to move to second on the Group 7 table.The Argentinians had a hat-trick from much-travelled Uruguayan frontman Hernan Lopez as the highlight, with strike partner Leandro Gonzalez weighing in with a brace.Boca Juniors loanee Facundo Roncaglia was sent off for the winners, while Julian Benitez scored a consolation goal for the away side to ensure the match finished 5-1.Colombian club Junior sealed their progression from the group stage courtesy of a come-from-behind 2-1 win at home over Bolivian outfit Oriente Petrolero, making it four wins from as many games in Group 2.Oriente are pointless and appear doomed, with Gremio’s 1-1 draw at Peruvian club Leon de Huanuco helping the Brazilian club more than their opponents in Thursday’s other group game.
Everton captain Phil Neville is pleased with his progress following summer surgery on a knee problem.
Neville will miss the first match on the club's pre-season tour to Australia against Sydney FC on Saturday as he is still recovering from surgery back in May.
However, he is hoping to feature during the tour in order to prove hit fitness ahead of the start of the new Premier League season.
"It has actually been fantastic. It's been nine weeks now and at eight weeks I was allowed to start running," he explained.
"This week has been more of me slowly settling back into training.
"I have been doing one session a day with the team and another session in the gym to keep the strength up in the knee.
"As pre-season gets closer to the full season I will step up my training.
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"I feel really fit, really strong, and for the first time in months I am running without pain in my knee, which is a great sign.
"There are three games this week and it would be great to take part in some of them and get some minutes under my belt."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The Premier League is littered with talent everywhere you look, though of course it is and has always been defined by its star names. Where would we be without Rooney, Gerrard, Terry, and the rest who light up the stage week in, week out. These are the players we read about every day, and who get all the limelight and plaudits for their efforts on the football field.
In this era of Premier League mega-stars it is easy to forget about the other few hundred players in the league (excluding David Bentley), who work just as hard and make vital contributions to their sides. There is a load of unsung heroes out there on the field every week who put in just as much effort-if not more-as the top names yet don’t get anywhere near the same amount of recognition. Why these players don’t get the recognition they deserve is a mystery. Some probably don’t get the credit they deserve as their vital contributions are within unglamorous sides who aren’t in the big four. Other players simply shun the media limelight and mega stardom, as they are only interested in playing football and putting the team before themselves.
These players are the type who would be the first on the team sheet every week, yet they don’t get the plaudits like a Drogba or a Fabregas. They are just as critical and most are the heartbeats of their sides, who would be much poorer without them. Some have made vital contributions that have saved their sides from dropping out of the division, others have propelled their sides to achieve greater things than expected, yet they barely get mentioned in the same breath as the big stars of the league. It’s time to pay tribute to the Premier League players who don’t get enough recognition.
Click on the image below to see the top ten
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Compiled by Lauren Rutter
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You have probably woken up this morning to a torrent of Manchester United fans raving about their U18 starlet, Ravel Morrison.
Dubbed ‘the new Ashley Young’, Morrison may promise to have a bright future and he hit headlines recently with a fantastic double to book United’s youth team a place in the FA Youth Cup semi-finals in a 3-2 win over Liverpool.
However, Morrison’s off the pitch exploits had previously surrounded him in controversy after he narrowly avoided a prison sentence in 2009 following an alleged mugging incident. He was promised that he would certainly face jail time if he was to appear in court again any time in the near future.
The youngster has made one appearance for the first team as a substitute for Park Ji-Sung in a League Cup tie against Wolves and should he keep up his good form, you may be seeing him strutting his stuff around Old Trafford once again in the near future.
So what are you waiting for? Check out Ravel’s best bits in the video below.
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West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan has revealed that he had agreed to sign Germany hot-shot Miroslav Klose prior to this summer's World Cup finals.
The Hammers chief insists that a free transfer move was on the cards for the 32-year-old after he endured a torrid campaign in his homeland with Bayern Munich.
But he has excelled on the international stage by scoring four goals and helping his side to the semi-finals in South Africa.
Sullivan now thinks he could join a more illustrious club on the continent.
Speaking to Soccernet, he said:"We had a deal in place before the World Cup, after he had a bad season in Germany.
"However, as a result of what he has done at the World Cup, it's unlikely to happen."
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Meanwhile, West Ham's hopes of signing Frederic Piquionne from French club Lyon also appear to be hitting a snag.
Piquionne, who enjoyed a loan spell at Portsmouth last season, is believed to still have a future with the French giants as coach Claude Puel considers his pre-season plans.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email