Spurs Transfer News: Lewis Holtby Joining Tottenham This Week

by Joseph Dempsey

BBC. The German international was set to sign in July after signing a pre-contract agreement at White Hart Lane, but a number of issues have led to the deal being accelerated. Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas could have landed the player as a free agent with his contact with the Bundesliga side set to expire in the summer, however he has agreed to pay £1.5 million to buy him out of the remainder of his contract. It is believed that the season-ending injury to midfielder Sandro factored into the decision to bring the transfer forward. On joining Tottenham, 22-year old Holtby said:

"Tottenham are a top club and I'm fulfilling my dream. "I have spoken to Andre Villas-Boas and I am confident in his plans."
Spurs confirmed the signing via their official website saying:
"We're delighted to announce we have reached an agreement for the immediate transfer of Lewis Holtby."
Holtby has been with Schalke since 2009 after moving from second-tier side Alemannia Aachen, making 75 appearances and scoring 11 times in the process. He was eligible to play for both England or Germany because he has a German mother and an English father, and opted to represent Germany, the country where he was born. Holtby has 3 senior caps for Germany, but once said that as a child, he dreamed of playing for England, but once he had been selected for the Germany under-21 side, a sense of loyalty compelled him to progress through the ranks to the senior team.

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Contributor

Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.