Tottenham wait for news on Dutch signing

Well, well, well. We waited all summer for Harry Redknapp to pile into the transfer market, he was even interviewed by Sky in his car yesterday saying he didn't expect anything to happen, and then he pulled out a potential last-minute deal that ensured that Tottenham grabbed all the overnight and morning headlines.

Apparently, the move came just two hours before the window shut at 6pm last night, and it still hasn't been ratified, with Premier League officials said to be examining the fine details of the transfer today with an announcement one way or the other anticipated later.

And Redknapp played up to his unwanted wheeler-dealer tag by claiming that they are getting him for £10 million less than Bayern Munich had previously offered, though that doesn't quite match up with reports in Bild that Schalke and Hamburg were the Bundesliga clubs interested, while even Marca who ran with van der Vaart to Bayern only quoted a fee of £9.9 million.

The Spurs boss is quoted on the BBC saying: "I think he was going to Bayern Munich on Monday for £18 million and suddenly he became much cheaper. They let me know around 4pm that he was available for £8 million 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."

Will van der Vaart make a difference for them in the Champions League? They're [1.83] to qualify from Group A...

Published: 1 Sep 2010