Fulham Transfer News: Cottagers Sign Tottenham's Lewis Holtby?

By Joseph Dempsey /

Fulham have signed Tottenham midfielder Lewis Holtby, according to the Daily Mail's Sam Cunningham. The Mail's Cunningham alleged on Twitter that Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino "inadvertently announced" the deal between the two London clubs. Asked by users of the micro-social networking site why Pochettino would make those comments, the sports writer speculated that perhaps he was trying to sign the midfielder too. Holtby has played a bit-part role at White Hart Lane this season and it had been speculated earlier in the day that he could join Fulham as part of a swap deal for Dimitar Berbatov.
The Daily Star reported that Fulham's Berbatov could be set for a shock return to Tottenham, with Holtby heading the other way on loan. The 33-year-old has five months remaining on his current contract at Craven Cottage, and Spurs want to take that over by offering him a deal until the end of the season. Berbatov left Spurs in 2008 when he joined Manchester United for £30.75 million €“ a then-club-transfer-record for United until they signed Juan Mata from Chelsea earlier this month. The striker scored 56 goals in 149 appearances for the Red Devils but was sold to Fulham for an undisclosed fee in 2012.