Tottenham have finally captured Alan Hutton (left) from Rangers, for a fee believed to be around £9m. That’s a lot of cash for a young defender, but if Hutton can offer Spurs the same level of reliability as great Premier League full-backs like Gary Neville and Denis Irwin, for example, then it’s a good deal for both parties. With Jonathan Woodgate also coming in, it’s clear that manager Juande Ramos wants to concentrate on shoring up Spurs’ lightweight defence.
To fund the acquisition of Hutton, Spurs have agreed to sell Kevin-Prince Boateng (above, right) to Aston Villa. I didn’t see that coming at all. Boateng signed for Tottenham in July 07, and could have had a bright future at the club. He hasn’t set the Prem alight yet – in fact, he’s looked a bit crap – but give him time… something that Ramos, a manager in a hurry, is not prepared to do. Villa will reportedly pay Spurs £3.5m for the German midfielder.
The Boateng sale is very, very strange indeed. I can only guess that Spurs have another midfielder lined up to replace him, possibly Tiago from Juventus. Otherwise, it seems like an odd bit of business.
Anyway, Villa are fast turning into the home for Spurs’ rejects: Wayne Routledge looks set to leave Spurs for Villa too (he’s having a medical at Villa Park today), but he won’t be greatly missed by fans at the Lane. Apart from extreme pace, Routlegde offers nothing much. He’s too lightweight and doesn’t play with his head up.