Vertonghen: I’ll earn my Spurs
The Ajax skipper will undergo a medical this week before completing his protracted move from the Dutch champions.
Spurs had been tracking the Belgium defender since last season during which he won the Eredivisie player-of-the-season award as Ajax claimed back-to-back league titles.
Vertonghen’s move had, however, been delayed amid reported interest from Arsenal while Spurs also changed managers with Andre Villas-Boas appointed to replace Harry Redknapp.
Redknapp was reportedly a keen admirer of the 25-year-old who is determined to make the step up in the Premier League.
“I am very relieved,” he said.
“It went on for a long time, but I’m glad I’m a Tottenham player right now and I’m looking forward to playing for the club.
“I am 25 years old now and I feel ready to play in the Premier League. I have heard a lot of good stories from my Belgium team-mates. I think I’m ready.
“I heard that Harry Redknapp really wanted me to play for Tottenham, but now it’s Andre Villas-Boas. To me, that doesn’t matter.
“I just want to play for the club and I hope I can please the fans at the club.”
Vertonghen will bolster a Spurs central defence weakened over the summer by the departures of long-serving former captain Ledley King and New Zealander Ryan Nelsen.
Vertonghen made 220 appearances and scored 28 goals for Ajax since making his debut for them in 2006. Last season saw him scoring 10 goals in 37 appearances.
He is the second signing of Villas-Boas’ short tenure so far after Gylfi Sigurdsson agreed a move to White Hart Lane last week.
Those signing have offered hope Spurs can at least maintain, if not improve, on their fourth placing in the Premier League last term.
But perhaps even more important on new man Villas-Boas list of priorities will be retaining his already-established star names.
Star winger Gareth Bale pledged his future to the club last month after signing a long-term deal but Luka Modric’s future remains in some doubt for a second successive summer.
Meanwhile Chelsea have had an offer in excess of £16m (€20 million) for Germany forward Andre Schurrle rejected by Bayer Leverkusen, according to a report in Germany.
The 21-year-old has established himself as one of Germany’s most exciting young talents since joining Leverkusen from Mainz last year. He has already won 16 caps for Germany and was a member of their Euro 2012 squad.
Leverkusen chief executive Wolfgang Holzhauser said: “We were presented with a very concrete offer from Chelsea for Andre of beyond €20 million. The sum was pushed back and forth between the two clubs. We ultimately chose Andre. Andre is very valuable for us. He has also made it clear he would like to stay with us.”
Chelsea’s midfielder Frank Lampard has played down talk of a move to the Los Angeles Galaxy and pledged his future to the London club.
The 34-year-old, whose Blues contract expires next summer, was pictured with agent Steve Kutner sitting with Galaxy midfielder David Beckham at a recent Major League Soccer match.
But Lampard said: “There’s nothing in that at all. I’m here in Los Angeles on holiday with [fiancee] Christine. We got engaged here last year and we love it over here.”
Elsewhere Werder Bremen have reached an agreement with Juventus to bring former Hamburg forward Eljero Elia back to the Bundesliga.
The 25-year-old, who has won 26 caps for the Netherlands, will put pen to paper on a four-year contract. Elia was previously a target of Liverpool.
Mali international Seydou Keita has announced he will be leaving Barcelona after a hugely successful four-year spell at the Catalan club that saw him win 14 trophies.
The midfielder had one year left on his contract but has activated a clause that allows him to leave should he not start more than half of Barca’s fixtures in the previous season.
The 32-year-old has been linked with a move to Chinese club Dalian Aerbin.
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