Rafael van der Vaart says he can ‘hardly believe’ Spurs deal
Dutch playmaker ‘very proud’ of last minute coup
Tottenham Hotspur almost-signing Rafael van der Vaart has told press he is still in shock, but ‘totally happy’ about yesterday’s last-second transfer deadline deal, which could take the Real Madrid midfielder to White Hart Lane for just £8m.
Spurs are currently appealing to the Premier League for ‘special dispensation’ in an attempt to push the transfer through, with a question mark over whether the necessary documents were submitted before the 6pm deadline, however Van der Vaart appears to be already packing his bags.
Speaking to De Telegraaf (and roughly translated by Google), Rafa said:
Four years [at] Spurs, for eleven million. I can hardly believe it myself. It’s a pity I can not now play against Ajax in the Champions League but now I [can visit] FC Twente. [It's] fun!
The interest from Tottenham has only today become concrete. But after that it went fast. I did in any case not much time to think. I would just like to play football again and if possible every week, with a beautiful club. I’m totally happy.
It’s a race against time to all the paperwork to get. But I assume that this succeeds [at] midnight. [...] I am in any case very proud of this transfer
Reports on Goal.com suggest with five minutes left on the clock the deal nearly collapsed altogether, after Real pulled out of negotiations for a season-long loan, before Spurs chairman Daniel Levy stepped in with an improved offer.
Yesterday Harry Redknapp told Sky Sports News the Spanish club had been trying to flog van der Vaart to Bayern Munich on Monday for as much as £18m, but the deal fell through and the midfielder came to Spurs’ attention just two hours before the deadline:
I think he was going to Bayern Munich yesterday for about £18m, but suddenly it became an awful lot cheaper. He is available now for about £8m.
For that sort of money, he is a top player and he will improve us for sure. We have made the effort, whether we can pull it off or not we will have to see. I am hopeful. It could happen. It was a last-minute job. When I came in this morning it certainly wasn’t something I was looking to do.
He looked like he was going for £18m but then the fee came crashing down because the deadline got close. If the chairman can pull it off, I think he will have got a real bargain.
Last-minute job. Real bargain. Harry Redknapp a ‘w*****r-d****r‘? Never.
3 responses so far
Sophie Stepover // September 1, 2010 at 12:40 pm
It seems like Rafael is genuinely excited about the prospect of playing for Tottenham. He’s not just trotting out the standard “I’m-pleased-to-play-for-a-club-I’ve-always-admired” lines.
Congrats Spurs! I’ll be watching a few more of your games this year.
John Swaine // September 1, 2010 at 2:24 pm
amaya Wilhelm
John Swaine // September 1, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Merp, copy paste disaster in last post.
Anyway, Spurs had better get this pushed through after Citeh signed a keeper miles outside the transfer window last season.
They argued it was because their sub was crap. Can we argue that Jermaine Jenas isn’t of requisite standard so we need VDV?
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