Source: Team_Talk
Tainio makes Ajax switch
Teemu Tainio has signed a one-year deal with Ajax after being released by Sunderland.[LNB] Tainio's contract with the Premier League outfit was terminated by mutual consent on transfer deadline day, allowing the Finland international to move to Holland.[LNB]The 30-year-old midfielder will be reunited in Amsterdam with Martin Jol, who signed Tainio for Tottenham in 2005.[LNB]The ex-Spurs coach kept tabs on Tainio after leaving White Hart Lane in 2007 and thanked Sunderland for helping the move go through.[LNB]"I am very happy we could strength our squad on the final day of the international transfer market," the Ajax boss told the club's official website.[LNB]"Teemu is someone who can do his job in the midfield. He is a winner, a player with a good mentality. I have worked with him at Tottenham Hotspur and continued to follow him.[LNB]"I am happy the board at Sunderland was willing to co-operate despite a running deal with Teemu. Therefore it was possible for us to sign Teemu."[LNB]Tainio made 83 appearances in three years with Spurs before leaving for Sunderland in 2008 for an undisclosed fee.[LNB]But the versatile Finn, who has made 51 international appearances, played just 22 games for the Black Cats before going on loan to Birmingham last season.[LNB]Tainio now has the opportunity to face former club Auxerre in the Champions League group stage, where Ajax have also been drawn against giants AC Milan and Real Madrid.
