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Lewis Holtby: Tottenham sign Schalke midfielder

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments159

Lewis Holtby

Tottenham Hotspur have signed Schalke's German international Lewis Holtby.

Midfielder Holtby had originally agreed to move to Spurs from the Bundlesliga club in July 2013 on a free transfer.

However, the move has been brought forward with Tottenham paying a fee understood to be £1.5m for the 22-year-old, who is thought to have signed a four-and-a-half-year contract.

"Tottenham are a top club and I'm fulfilling my dream," said Holtby, who has three senior caps for Germany.

"I have spoken to [Spurs manager] Andre Villas-Boas and I am confident in his plans."

Spurs confirmed the signing on their website,external-link saying: "We're delighted to announce we have reached an agreement for the immediate transfer of Lewis Holtby."

Holtby joined Schalke from German second-tier side Alemannia Aachen in 2009 and made 75 appearances, scoring 11 times.

He was eligible to play for England or Germany because he has a German mother and an English father and opted to represent Germany, the country where he was born.

Holtby has said that as a child he dreamed of playing for England but once he had been selected for the Germany Under-21 side a sense of loyalty meant he continued his journey to their senior team.

"We have found the best solution for all involved," said Schalke director of sport Horst Heldt.

"Lewis had hinted to us that he would not be against moving immediately, and Schalke have received a decent sum for a player whose contract was due to expire in five months."

Holtby's last appearance for Schalke, who are sixth in the Bundesliga, came in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Augsburg.

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159 comments

  • Comment posted by Somerset Boy UK_Laye, at 20:26 28 Jan 2013

    Levy you're either a god or made a deal with the devil with the deals you pull off!

  • Comment posted by Greatblackhawk, at 22:39 28 Jan 2013

    Most clubs are priced out of the market for the top established players so the name of the game is search for either up and coming young players or hidden gems.
    Spurs have been excellent at this; Bale, Walker and Lennon.
    They have also discovered players like Berbatov, Carrick and Modric and made big bucks in the process.
    Holbty is an inspired signing and a steal for the money.
    Well done Levy.

  • Comment posted by User0862080643, at 21:03 28 Jan 2013

    Wow, absolute steal. I'm a Chelsea fan, and the one thing I really liked about AVB was his eye for a good transfer. Mata, Lukaku, Romeu etc for us, and now Dembele, Vertonghen, Holtby for you guys. Looking forward to seeing him in action, as long as he doesn't propel you above us into 3rd ;)

  • Comment posted by User0883685114, at 20:44 28 Jan 2013

    Thus guy is prodigiously talented, he could become one of the best midfielders in the league. He would be worth comfortably in excess of £10 million if his contract was long.

  • Comment posted by User0016513483, at 21:23 28 Jan 2013

    Seeing him in youth tournaments, then in A-teams for Germany and Schalke he has the potential to fits excellent in Spurs concept.
    There is one who will work his butt off and has the brain and skills.
    Good for both that the trade did take place now.
    Well done.
    Let us talk in two years from now, how much he is worth then.
    1.5 mill well invested. 10 times more worth in two years.

  • Comment posted by User0473288172, at 21:17 28 Jan 2013

    @16. How ignorant.

    Just because you don't know him doesn't mean he'll be worthless in the premier league. If anything, the Bundesliga is a more purer league than ours, yet he has been highly rated.

    Only suggests he's more than capable.

  • Comment posted by User0932541068, at 20:45 28 Jan 2013

    3rd highest assists in bundeslig is a great signing

  • Comment posted by Ruffles, at 22:03 28 Jan 2013

    @16 The fact that you've not heard of him speaks far more about your footballing ignorance than his footballing credentials. £1.5m is an absolute steal.

  • Comment posted by User0405517799, at 21:20 28 Jan 2013

    Holtby is a good, versatile, young midfielder and at 1.5 million cannot go wrong. I signed him on fifa for Spurs so he must be good ;)

    @14 Spurs have Hugo Lloris-hardly need to sign a new keeper when they have clearly have one of the best keepers in the premier league right now.

  • Comment posted by User0498048514, at 01:22 29 Jan 2013

    Who is this guy i went to school with a Gary Holtby and he was rubbish, his dad was hopeless as was his grandpa. I conclude that rubbish footballing are in the Holtby genes. So why did Spurs not consult me or anyone else at our school.

  • Comment posted by User0704773252, at 23:11 28 Jan 2013

    @41 - We do need someone up there to be able to convert these chances though don't we? Currently we have Defoe who has a knock and Adebayor who is in Africa. Two strikers isn't enough in the PL.

  • Comment posted by User0561482653, at 20:38 28 Jan 2013

    By all accounts hes also a level headed bright lad. A real asset and not the usual bling n celeb obsessed wannabe yoof. Yes, a striker is required but we will wait for the right one rather than hoover up some starry eyed underachiever a la all the rest.

  • Comment posted by Tobyque, at 20:31 28 Jan 2013

    Fantastic looking player for Tottenham and I feel could very well directly replace the departed Modric. Spurs have shown again that shrewd business can benefit the team when done correctly having acquired a fantastic player for a fraction of what he is worth, I know the contract is expiring. Though I do worry about that they need a strong central player to cover in the absence of Sandro.

  • Comment posted by User0532622828, at 08:57 29 Jan 2013

    68.BillMurrayismygod G Hooper prooved himself in the Championship, outscoring that Andy Carol, but Hooper was at a worse team! Carol went for 30m odd so getting Hooper, a better player than Carol for 10 - 15m could be the deal of the century. Remember also that Hooper is scoring feely in the Champions League.

  • Comment posted by User0795155593, at 09:33 29 Jan 2013

    At £1.5M, does it really matter if he flops. All it takes is a few good games and Spurs have their money worth!

  • Comment posted by Eddies Gonna Get Ya, at 10:50 29 Jan 2013

    I'd forgotten about Jenas! maybe we should play a midfied of Jenas, Huddlestone, Bentley and Livermore. Even Villa could beat us then! (Maybe) We'd still be too strong for Liverpool though!

  • Comment posted by Kermit not the frog but one of the many others, at 00:57 29 Jan 2013

    #49 so YOU have seen a lot of Holtby then ??????????
    You think he rubbish - highly-rated capped by Germany...Hmmmmmm ! Best to keep your childish opinions to yourself and leave this for the grown ups to have sensible discussions.
    Amazes me how some of you kids manage to turn the computer on with your "high" levels of intelligence.

  • Comment posted by gloverdingle, at 21:51 28 Jan 2013

    Potentially a very shrewd signing, and should fit in well to the 4-2-3-1 formation which AVB clearly prefers, in behind the main striker.

    The £1.5m price tag should help alleviate some of the pressure too, it annoys me how some players get unfairly slated in the Premier League for failing to live up to an extortionate selling price.

  • Comment posted by User0519830736, at 04:15 29 Jan 2013

    Geniunely great news! Now all we need is a striker and we are sorted :) COYS!

  • Comment posted by User0629220551, at 12:40 29 Jan 2013

    119 - interesting comment. Most of the footballing world felt the same when we heard Carroll was going to Liverpool!!

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