Rafael van der Vaart leaves no place for Jonathan Woodgate at Tottenham

Posted Thursday, September 02, 2010 by theguardian.com

Rafael van der Vaart leaves no place for Jonathan Woodgate at Tottenham
Rafael van der Vaart had to wait the better part of a day before his signing for Spurs was officially confirmed.

Rafael van der Vaart's £8m transfer to Tottenham Hotspur from Real Madrid was officially ratified by the Premier League this afternoon but there was some dispute from the Spanish side regarding Harry Redknapp's claim yesterday that Bayern Munich had been prepared to pay £18m for him before the move broke down. The Spurs manager said: "The fee has come crashing down because the deadline is so close."

Real's sports director, Miguel Pardeza, told the club's website: "It is absolutely false that Real Madrid received a €21m offer from Bayern Munich for Van der Vaart. In fact, the German team never showed an interest to sign the player, so the allegations made in England have greatly surprised us." Spurs have no further comment to make.

The club lodged the requisite paperwork with the Premier League close to yesterday's 6pm transfer window deadline and had to wait until today before Van der Vaart was officially confirmed as their player. His signing pushed the defender Jonathan Woodgate out of the 25-man squad for the first half of the league season, which was named by Redknapp today.

The 29-year-old Woodgate has played once in two years for the senior team. His exclusion will fuel speculation that his career may be under serious threat due to a chronic groin problem. Redknapp said last month of the injury: "It's so sad for Jonathan. He's such a good player and a great lad as well. He's been all round the world really, trying to find a cure for this groin problem. He's seen two specialists and he's going to get one more opinion but they seem to be of the opinion that the only chance is an operation."

The Holland playmaker Van der Vaart, who featured in the World Cup final, told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: "Four years at Spurs, for €11m, I can hardly believe it myself. The interest from Tottenham came very quickly and I did not have much time to think. But I want to play football again and, if possible, every week, with a beautiful club. I'm totally happy."

He admitted concern regarding where he might fit into Redknapp's team, saying: "I am excited about playing in England. Whether it suits my style remains to be seen but I think a good footballer can adapt and I am very proud of this transfer." Van der Vaart was Redknapp's second signing on deadline day, following the loan deal for the Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa.