Holtby is the bargain of the century, says Tottenham boss Villas-Boas

Jan 30, 2013 12:30:00 PM

The Spurs manager has compared the German international to former White Hart Lane favourite Rafael van der Vaart and has praised his versatility

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has described new signing Lewis Holtby as the "bargain of the century" and believes his new man can shine like Rafael van der Vaart did at White Hart Lane.

Spurs completed a deal for the midfielder on Monday for a fee of €1.75 million and the Portuguese manager is delighted with what he thinks is a wonderful piece of business.


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"Is he the bargain of the century? I think so because it's difficult to find a young player who is running his contract down and we faced tough competition," Villas-Boas said in the Daily Star.

"He's recognised as an exceptional young talent and we have high expectations of the player.

"Because of his creativity you can compare him to Rafa [van der Vaart] - to a certain extent anyway because Rafa was a greatly experienced player when he joined and Lewis has all his career ahead of him.

"He will fill the No.10 position, although he can play on the right or the left and he has also played in a holding role."

Holtby could make his competitive debut for Spurs as they travel to Norwich on Wednesday night, and Villas-Boas says he could tempted to throw his new man straight into the action to bolster his attacking options.

He added: "He's been selected. Is he ready to go straight in? It depends, but his English background can help him and he knows the culture and the language very well."

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Champions League final - LIVE!

German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.

11:08 PM BST

Right, that's just about it from me, folks. Thank you so much for all your contributions. We hyped this one up. We said it was going to showcase everything that is great about German football. And you know what? It delivered. It was an absolutely absorbing final between the continent's top two sides, a fitting conclusion to what has been a fantastic tournament. Impossible not to feel so, so sorry for Dortmund but they need only to look at what Bayern have done tonight, lifting the trophy just 12 months after throwing it away, to see that it's possible to bounce back from this kind of devastation.

But Bayern deserve this. They've paid their dues and nobody can dispute that they are the best team in Europe. Bayern, we salute you. Over to everyone else now to try to come up with a way to beat this most wonderfully balanced of sides! But, until next season, good night - and good luck.

11:00 PM BST

Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp has finally faced the press and, judging by his comments, is a tad upset with perhaps something other than the final scoreline.

"First and foremost, congratulations to Bayern Munich because they won so it's not important to speak about what happened in the game," he told ITV1. "After the game you have to respect the result and that's what we do now.

"I didn't see (Robben's) goal. It was a free-kick and we were not in the right formation at that moment. It was late in the game and it has been a really hard season for us. But Bayern Munich had to fight too. We deserved to be in the final and we showed this tonight."

10:56 PM BST

Sir Alex Ferguson also has a new job... Well, kind of. The former Manchester United boss was entrusted with the honour of presenting the man of the match award after the game and relished the task: "It's my first job since I retired and it's a pleasure!"

Robben humbly received his accolade before commenting: "I think it’s such a shame a world-class trainer is leaving the game." Quite.

10:51 PM BST

Heynckes, class act that he is, was also quick to empathise with a devastated Dortmund.

"I told their players: I know your disappointment after losing a final. I lost a final to Liverpool, too.

"During the first half we had trouble to get into the game. At half-time a adjusted our play. I think both teams felt pressure. If you see that you have a 25-point-lead in the league, it is normal you are the favourite. But after 30 minutes we freed ourselves.

"Over the past year, we improved and improved. We improved and modified so many details. I was stricter and I have to say that the players followed me and there is harmony in the dressing room."

10:48 PM BST

And finally we get to hear from Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes, who will be replaced by Pep Guardiola this summer.

The big news is, though, that he seems to have a job lined up for himself, which restores one's faith in our fickle game, given the man is now a two-time Champions League winner!

"The decision on what I will do after the DFB Pokal match (against Stuttgart next saturday) was already taken last June? Retire? No, you will learn that after the DFB Pokal final."

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