Jan Vertonghen Signs

[Dare!]

Ben Pearce ‏@BenPearceSpurs
Vertonghen: “It feels amazing to play in the #thfc kit now. Everybody knows the white shirt and it’s like a dream come true for me.”

 

[Misfit]

I think I'm going to have a little cry.

 

[mpickard2087]

Ben Pearce ‏@BenPearceSpurs
Vertonghen: “It feels amazing to play in the #thfc kit now. Everybody knows the white shirt and it’s like a dream come true for me.”

Wheres the bowdown smiley when you need it?

This isnt good enough.

 

[Berglad]

from the fail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2172621/Jan-Vertonghen-begged-Spurs-move.html

Vertonghen begged Ajax chief to let him seal £10m move to Spurs

Jan Vertonghen pleaded with Ajax manager Frank de Boer to sanction his 'dream' move to Tottenham.
The £10m defender completed his switch to White Hart Lane after passing a medical at Spurs' training ground and revealed it was a dispute over money that delayed his arrival.
Belgium international Vertonghen is delighted to finally make it to London and sees no reason why Spurs cannot challenge for the Premier League title.

Speaking at the launch of the strips for the new season, Vertonghen, 25, said: 'It feels good to be a Tottenham player and be here at this club.
'It was something between me and Ajax that delayed it. It is a long story, but it was over a small amount of money.
'At the time, I was concerned. But in the end i just told my manager: 'Please close the deal.'
Little persuasion was needed to choose Tottenham ahead of other Premier League suitors and Vertonghen put his decision down to the quality of the squad inherited by new manager Andre Villas-Boas.
'My mind was made up by the feeling [chairman] Daniel Levy gave me. He invited me to the club and came over to Amsterdam to see me.
'He told me he really wanted to have me at the club and that gives a player an amazing feeling. It is important that a club wants you. Now I'm here, I really love the white shirt. It is a dream come true.

'They are a really quality team and I hope to finish as high as possible. Last year, they were in the race for the Champions League for a long way and we have to try that again.'
Asked whether Spurs could win a first Premier League title, he said: 'It is possible at the moment when I see these players - we have a lot of quality to get to the first positions, so why not? I won the title last season and this year I want to do the same.'
Although Vertonghen was an integral part of Ajax's Eredivisie winning squad last season, he is under no illusions that the Premier League represents a massive leap in quality, hence his eagerness to seal the move early in the transfer window.
'The Premier League was the only competition I ever watched on the TV. For every footballer it is the dream to play in England and I came to the last game of the season between Spurs and Fulham and sampled the amazing atmosphere.
'I was impressed by the way Spurs play their football - it is similar to the way Ajax play - and that was one of the reasons I came here.
'But the Premier League is different to the Dutch league, the tempo and level is higher and I hope the early start will help me get to that level.'
He admits being impressed by the way Villas-Boas has stepped into his new role, notably his 'tracksuit' style of coaching, when he took part in his first training session on Thursday morning.
'He's really involved on the pitch. I like that kind of training - he was running with the players, talking and coaching like a proper trainer.'
Vertonghen hopes his new manager will grant his wish to play in his natural centre-back role, instead of the left-back position he frequents for Belgium.
The identity of Vertonghen's central defensive partner remains uncertain, however, with the club still unsure Ledley King, who has been dogged with knee problems, will make the start of the season.
He joins an ever-growing band of Belgians making their mark in the Premier League, including Vincent Kompany and new Chelsea signing Eden Hazard.
But it is the tussles with Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen in the North London derbies he is most relishing: 'I definitely want to beat him this year.'

 

[haxman]

Ben Pearce ‏@BenPearceSpurs
Vertonghen: “It feels amazing to play in the #thfc kit now. Everybody knows the white shirt and it’s like a dream come true for me.”

Saying all the right things Jan, nice one.

 

[deselina]

I think he meant his agent and not FdB. Overmars was handling the transfers and not the coach.

 

[Blake Griffin]

 

[ItsBoris]

“I saw them [Tottenham] playing in the Champions League - it was just amazing. They have real quality players here, and that’s what Rafael van der Vaart told me too."

Makes me think the rumours about VDV leaving are just nonsense.

 

[Misfit]

“I saw them [Tottenham] playing in the Champions League - it was just amazing. They have real quality players here, and that’s what Rafael van der Vaart told me too."

Makes me think the rumours about VDV leaving are just nonsense.

AVB seems just as baffled at the suggestion apparently.

 

[RuskyM]

We love you Jan, we do...

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Spurs announce the completion of the Vertonghen transfer

I don't know what's happened in the past but usually the player is playing for us within a few days which negates the need, that's if they don't do the medical first

I was hoping nobody would call me up on that.

 

[Berglad]

Here's some video of his interview today: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/s...-targets-title-with-tottenham-hotspur?cc=5901

 

[StartingPrice]

If he likes the coach to be involved like AVB on the training pitch, he has had a near miss with RatKnip

Who was the minder could that be POTL? (not that I'd know anything about ITK, obviously).

 

[paino]

This guy is gonna be class. Hopefully he'll chip in with the goals too. Make sure you play him in your fantasy teams.

 

[Dezzydez]

Welcome Jan. Great signing with bags of potential. Plus none of our rivals managed to nip in and spoil the deal. Now lets get JM in the bag...COYS

 

[Super Tottenham]

Good interview:

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...g-the-best-out-of-jan-vertonghen-7941762.html

Jan Vertonghen believes the footballing education he received at Ajax will help him hit the ground running at Tottenham.
The defender finalised his £9.5million move from the Dutch champions yesterday, the latest star to graduate from the famous Amsterdam youth system.
According to Vertonghen, Ajax’s philosophy — keeping possession, pressure and attacking — echoes that of his new club manager, Andre Villas-Boas.
“It is a perfect fit for me and, of course, that will help me settle in,” the defender said. “It is all about ball possession and pressure so that is quite similar to the way Ajax want you to play.
“Villas-Boas is important in that, too, because I know his style and I know how we are going to play football. The system is very important because I won’t need to adapt my style and I can focus on other things.
“I was 16 when I went to Ajax and the youth team played exactly like the first team so that really helped me when I started in the first team. The same thing will help me when I start playing here.
“It was difficult for Villas-Boas at Chelsea because the team did not want to play like he did. That is why Tottenham fit better for him. We have quality players who can play the football he wants to so he will do better here.”
Vertonghen arrives at White Hart Lane with real pedigree, having captained Ajax to a second consecutive Dutch title and been named Eredivisie Player of the Year last season.
The Belgium international racked up 220 appearances for Ajax, has been capped 37 times and is admired by a host of top European managers.
His switch was briefly delayed amid reported interest from Arsenal but Vertonghen says his heart was always set on a move to Spurs.
“I made my choice because of my feeling for the club,” he said. “There were other offers from Premier League clubs but [Spurs chairman] Daniel Levy showed me the right perspective. He invited me to the club, came to see me in Amsterdam and the feeling was good. The personal feeling is important. It didn’t make much difference that Harry Redknapp was sacked. They always told me they really wanted me and that is another reason why I wanted to come here.
“With the players we have, we can play at the top of the League — that has to be the goal. We showed last year that it is possible, we were really close to the top three. There is a lot of confidence in the team and we believe we can take [the good form] to the end [of the season].”
Vertonghen was Villas-Boas’s second signing at Spurs, following Gylfi Sigurdsson’s move from Hoffenheim. The arrivals have linked up with their team-mates at Tottenham’s stunning new £45million training ground this week.
“Gylfi is in my hotel and we go to training together so I have spoken to him a lot,” said Vertonghen. “London, of course, is a great city but I have only been to the training ground and the hotel so I haven’t seen much of it yet. Maybe I will ask a friend of mine for some tips on where to go. But he knows Arsenal better than he knows Tottenham!”
The friend in question is Thomas Vermaelen, whose journey has followed a similar route to Vertonghen’s; Belgium to north London via Amsterdam. Vermaelen was a relative unknown when he arrived in the summer of 2009 but he quickly established himself as a quality central defender.
“I will just talk to him about London I think, not about other teams because the guys in my team can give me those tips,” said Vertonghen. “I played alongside him for a few years at Ajax and he lived in my neighbourhood, so he is a good friend of mine.
“He is one of the Belgium guys who has played in the Premier League and recommended it. The Belgium players [here] have a good combination of talent and mentality that make them perfect for the Premier League.
“There was only one league that I watched when I was back in Holland and that was the Premier League, so it is a dream come true.”

 

[StartingPrice]

Good interview:

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...g-the-best-out-of-jan-vertonghen-7941762.html

Jan Vertonghen believes the footballing education he received at Ajax will help him hit the ground running at Tottenham.
“London, of course, is a great city but I have only been to the training ground and the hotel so I haven’t seen much of it yet. Maybe I will ask a friend of mine for some tips on where to go. ”

Stay outta the shadows

 

[camaj]

'The Premier League was the only competition I ever watched on the TV. For every footballer it is the dream to play in England and I came to the last game of the season between Spurs and Fulham and sampled the amazing atmosphere.

I hope people remember that when they complain about us moving a game to Sunday for the TV. It's annoying but it's also the reason why we get players like Vertonghen. I think that's a more than fair pay off.

Did anyone pick up on the fact he was here for the Fulham game? I don't remember it being mentioned. I assume he was in a box or the directors seats. Good job Levy, he's our secret weapon and we don't have to worry about him being poached

 

[L-man]

First training photo?

 

[Spurger King]