Relief for Spurs as Premier League ratify van der Vaart deal

Tottenham today confirmed the £8m signing of Rafael van der Vaart from Real Madrid after the Premier League gave them the green light to add the Holland midfielder to their squad.

Spurs had been sweating on clearance to bring the 27-year-old to White Hart Lane after technical difficulties hampered their efforts to submit the relevant paperwork for the move before yesterday's 6pm transfer deadline.