Tottenham have become victims of an elaborate transfer fraud involving FC Twente player Luc Castaignos, according to the BBC. Spurs were handed a document supposedly signed by Twente's chairman, only to discover the signature had been forged by a Croatian middleman trying to sell them the Dutch striker. The Croat was rumbled when the London club contacted Twente and uncovered the rouse. The Dutch side later confirmed the forgery, stating:
A player has been offered with this forged document. The forgery has been made known to the KNVB (Dutch Football Federation), with the request to pass it on to Uefa and Fifa and take the appropriate measures.
Gert-Jan Nijweide, FC Twente's finance director, said:
We have recently been informed of this scam from England. We have sent a letter to the persons who have used the false document, ordering them to stop immediately.
Castaignos is considered one of the brightest young players in European football and is the all-time top scorer of the Netherlands U-17 national team with 13 goals in 17 appearances. The 21-year-old has also played at U-19, U-20 and U-21 levels and is soon expected to break into Holland's senior set-up. His promising performances have earned him comparisons with Tottenham's London rivals Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Manchester United have shown an interest in the past. Spurs may be in the market for a new forward before the window slams shut on Friday evening. Jermain Defoe has agreed a move to Canadian side Toronto FC leaving manager Tim Sherwood with Roberto Soldado, Emmanuel Adebayor and rookie Harry Kane his only back-up. This is not the first time a Premier League club has been hit by fraudsters. Last summer, United were involved in a hoax surrounding Athletic Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera.
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.
