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The club have officially announced that the Portuguese will fill the void left by Harry Redknapp, and has signed a three-year-deal with the north London side

By Greg Stobart

Andre Villas-Boas has been appointed as the new Tottenham head coach on a three-year contract, as confirmed by the club.

The former Chelsea boss emerged as the outstanding candidate during a three-week-long process that started when Spurs sacked Harry Redknapp in June.

Chairman Daniel Levy was so impressed by Villas-Boas during a series of talks that he shelved plans to talk to Laurent Blanc, the former France coach who started the search as the leading candidate.

Villas-Boas will also bring in his own backroom team, and appoint an assistant coach, while Jose Mario Rocha is expected to arrive at White Hart Lane as a fitness coach and Daniel Sousa as opposition scout.

The 34-year-old's appointment is a brave move by Spurs after his unsuccessful spell at Chelsea, who sacked him in March after a miserable eight months in west London, in which he clashed with several senior members of the squad.

He was, however, hugely successful in his single season at Porto in 2010-11, where he won four trophies and was billed as the next Jose Mourinho, under whom he used to work.

Villas-Boas will meet the players for the start of pre-season training next week before the squad embarks on a pre-season tour of the United States ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle on August 18.

He fits the club's desire for a young, progressive coach who can get Spurs back in the Champions League with an attacking brand of football, while lowering the average age of the squad and making shrewd signings in the transfer market.

To that end, the Portuguese will be heavily backed this summer, with Spurs ready to spend up to £70 million on new players, although that will be partly offset by the anticipated departure of £35m-rated Luka Modric to Real Madrid.

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Villas-Boas will look to convince Modric to stay and assess the rest of the squad when their pre-season preparations kick in to gear next week, but has already been heavily involved in proposed transfers.

Tim Sherwood, the club's technical co-ordinator, is also expected to receive a promotion as the Londoners take a more consultative approach towards transfers than under Redknapp.

Tottenham believe they have beaten Liverpool in the race to sign midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson for £8m from Hoffenheim, with the 22-year-old having agreed personal terms and completed a medical.

Jan Vertonghen, the Ajax captain, is also likely to join in a £9.6m deal once he has resolved a dispute with the Dutch club over his entitlement to a 15 per cent share of the transfer fee.