Source: Telegraph
Tottenham complete signing of Real Madrid's Rafael van der Vaart
Tottenham blamed problems with their computer server - their email system - as they attempted to send through the documentation to the Premier League after it was scanned in (rather than faxed) in time. At the same time the Premier League was suffering from a log jam of documents and forms as other clubs rushed to register their new players at the last-minute and there were delays suffered by others, such as West Ham United who signed the Blackburn Rovers' right-back Lars Jacobsen at 5.58pm. That deal, too, was ratified on Wednesday. [LNB]However the crucial criteria that Spurs had to meet were to satisfy the Premier League that agreement had been reached with Real Madrid, who were selling Van der Vaart, that personal terms and arrangements had been settled with the player and that all the forms - including his international clearance - had been filled in and filed. [LNB] Related ArticlesSpurs wait on Rafael van der Vaart dealPeter Crouch ruled out for EnglandSandro wants Spurs silverwareSpurs in for Van der VaartTottenham sign Pletikosa on loanHarry Redknapp: 'I'm no wheeler-dealer'It took until just before 3pm on Wednesday for the Premier League to check through all the documents and satisfy itself that everything was in order. Although parallels were drawn with the time it took for Andrei Arshavin's move from Zenit St Petersburg to Arsenal to be cleared last year, again not confirmed until the day after, that case was far more complex especially as there had been suggestions of 'third-party ownership' surrounding the Russian. As strange as it sounds there were further delays in the Arshavin deal because some of the documents were in Russian and a translator had to be tracked down. [LNB]But while one of the further irritations of the length of time Arsenal took to sign Arshavin was just how long the saga was - occupying the entire January window - Spurs deal to secure Van der Vaart was breathtakingly quick. Less than two hours in fact. The availability of the Dutch play-maker was well-known as he was one of the players, along with the likes of Fernando Gago and Lassana Diarra, whose names had been circulated to European clubs by Real. [LNB]The Spanish club was desperate to balance its books after a summer of spending under new coach Jose Mourinho and Van der Vaart, especially after the arrival of Mesut Ozil, was surplus. Real deny that a deal was in place to sell him to Bayern Munich on Monday for £18 million - something Spurs manager Harry Redknapp had claimed - but he was being touted around with the possibility of a return to one of his former clubs, Hamburg, an option which also fell through. [LNB]Spurs did not consider a move because they understood the fee was prohibitive. But once, just after 4pm, chairman Daniel Levy, who had failed in an attempt to sign Liverpool's Ryan Babel despite bidding £10 million, was notified that Real would sell for less than expected - it was becoming apparent the only other option was to send Van der Vaart out on loan, something they didn't want to do - he acted. [LNB]It's not unusual for Spurs to make such last-minute moves. Redknapp may bridle at suggestions he is a 'wheeler-dealer' but Levy thrives in it. Sometimes it backfires but, with increasing regularity, Spurs pull off a bit of a coup. To acquire a player of Van der Vaart's standing, a World Cup finalist, with 83 caps for Holland, and still just 27, would appear to be just that. [LNB]Van der Vaart's arrival in England may have been break-neck but it's seven years since he was first mooted for the Premier League. Chelsea in the first flush of Roman Abramovich's cash pursued the midfielder who was then a burgeoning, precocious talent at Ajax. Chelsea bought Joe Cole instead but didn't forget about Van der Vaart and considered bidding for him last summer, and again this. [LNB]But what have Spurs now got? Certainly a creative, attacking left-footed player, a good passer, who possesses great experience - not least in the Champions League - and one who will give Redknapp the opportunity to vary his formation as well as his line-up. Indeed having acquired a player of Van der Vaart's ability and reputation, and despite Spurs heavy fixture commitments, the question now will be where he plays and who misses out? [LNB][LNB]Possible Tottenham line-ups:[LNB](4-4-2) Lennon, Huddlestone, Modric, Van der Vaart; Defoe, Crouch (this would lead to Gareth Bale switching to left-back and Kranjcar and Palacios missing out [LNB](4-2-3-1) Huddlestone, Modric; Lennon, Van der Vaart, Bale; Defoe (bad news for Crouch..or maybe Defoe) [LNB](4-4-1-1) Lennon, Huddlestone, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart; Crouch (bad news for Defoe) [LNB][LNB]Van der Vaart factfile [LNB]1983: Born on February 11, in Heemskerk, Holland. [LNB]1993: Joins the Ajax academy as a 10-year-old. [LNB]2000: April - Makes his senior Ajax debut against Den Bosch as a 17-year-old. [LNB]2001: October 6 - Makes senior Holland debut against Andorra. [LNB]2002: Ajax win the Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup, although Van der Vaart's playing time is limited by a knee injury. [LNB]2004: Ajax win Eredivisie title again. Van der Vaart named team captain for the following season by new boss Ronald Koeman. Plays a limited role for Holland at the European Championships in Portugal. [LNB]2005: Joins Hamburg. The German club finish third in the Bundesliga in his first year at the club. [LNB]2006: Included in Holland's squad for the World Cup in Germany, but after missing the opening game on his way back from injury, plays a minimal part in the campaign. [LNB]2007-08: Scores 12 goals as Hamburg finish fourth in the Bundesliga. [LNB]2008: August - Signs for Real Madrid, having impressed for Holland at Euro 2008. Scores on Real debut against Numancia. [LNB]2009: Linked with a move away from the Bernabeu but stays on under coach Manuel Pellegrini. [LNB]2010: September 1 - Confirmed as a Tottenham player after club make late £8 million transfer deadline swoop. [LNB]
