Hutton's signature brings an end a transfer saga that began at the beginning of the month with the player rejecting a move to White Hart Lane. Despite both clubs agreeing a fee, and Rangers being keen to offload the player sooner rather than later in order to use the funds to strengthen elsewhere, Hutton's wife has recently had a baby and it is thought that the potential disruption to his family was the main factor behind his reluctance to move. There were also reports of interest from Manchester United and Liverpool, though neither club were willing to make a move for him in January. Having looked like being dead in the water, Daniel Levy and Damien Comolli have since resurrected the transfer and seemingly persuaded Hutton that his future is in North London.
In Hutton, Juande Ramos will have a player who has attracted admiring glances from the continents biggest teams. His performances for Scotland and for Rangers led him to be voted eighth World Soccer Magazine's Young Player of the Year award in December 2007. He is a n attack minded full-back whose marauding runs up field have led some to compare him to Brazilian full-back Cafu.
The length to which we have gone to capture his signature suggests that Pascal Chimbonda's days at the club are numbered. The French defender is reportedly unhappy at the club publicly courting Hutton and, according to stories in the national press, has fallen out with several members of the first team squad. New Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has discounted press speculation that he might make a move for the want-away former Wigan man and it remains more likely that if he does leave, he will move abroad.