Spurs sign Van der Vaart

London - Rafael van der Vaart's move to Tottenham from Real Madrid was ratified by the English Premier League on Wednesday, giving the Netherlands midfielder a chance to revive his club career in England.

The deal was hit by technical difficulties as the transfer window was closing on Tuesday, and the league's board had to determine whether to sanction the move.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp claimed he was only alerted to Van der Vaart's availability for £8m two hours before the transfer deadline.

Details of the contract weren't revealed by Spurs, but the 27-year-old Van der Vaart announced in Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that he had signed a four-year deal.

"The interest from Tottenham only became concrete (on Tuesday) but after that things moved very quickly," Van der Vaart said. "I didn't have to think about it for long. But I just want to play football again and, if possible, every week with a beautiful club. I'm totally happy."

Van der Vaart, who was part of the Netherlands team that lost to Spain in the World Cup final in July, struggled to establish himself at Madrid in his two years at the club.

Van der Vaart will be able to play Champions League football again with Spurs having reached the group stage for the first time.