Tottenham and Wood Green Journal has disclosed more details about the Adel Taarabt deal announced by the club yesterday.
The player is 18 at the end of the current season and his loan deal will become permanent at that point and not before then, hence the current loan agreement with Lens. The French youngster will then be on a three-year contract at White Hart Lane with the option of a two-year-extension.
Taarabt described the five years at his former employers as a frustrating time after only appearing once for the first team. He claimed in an interview given in France last week that Spurs regard the signing as similar to the one that saw Theo Walcott move from Southampton to Arsenal. Taarabt said he turned down offers from both Arsenal and Chelsea because Spurs promised him first team football at the first available opportunity, akin to the signing of Benoit Assou-Ekotto from the same club in the summer.
Tottenham's other new signing yesterday, goalkeeper Ben Alnwick may be loaned to another club next season. The former Sunderland stopper will be third choice behind Paul Robinson and Radek Cerny.
And Emil Hallfredsson is available for team selection since January 1 after returning to the club from his loan spell in Switzerland (in November), although the winger could eventually be sold before the end of the month.
T&WGJ identified that (injured) Jermaine Jenas would certainly have been more effective than Didier Zokora in the recent defeat to Liverpool. But…‘It would be too easy to dismiss the signing of Zokora as a mistake… his early season performances should not be forgotten by Jol.'
Ham & High interviews Paul Stalteri who talks about his frustrating season so far with injuries, and the Canadian also looks at Tottenham's prospects in all three cup competitions.
And Danny Murphy was named man of the match for his second half performance at Portsmouth on New Years' Day.