English Premiership
Spurs swoop for Holtby
2013-01-05 09:18
Lewis Holtby (Getty Images)
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London - Tottenham have agreed a deal to sign Germany midfielder Lewis Holtby from Schalke at the end of the season.
Holtby had recently confirmed he would be leaving Schalke and Tottenham announced on Friday that the 22-year-old will move to White Hart Lane when his contract with the German club expires in June.
The 22-year-old midfielder, whose father Chris is from England, had also been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool, but Andre Villas-Boas's side have won the race for the highly-rated playmaker.
A Spurs statement read: "We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Germany Under-21 captain Lewis Holtby to join the club in July from Bundesliga side Schalke, subject to a medical."
Germany-born Holtby, who has a German mother, was eligible to play for England through his father, a former soldier in the British army who used to be stationed in Monchengladbach, but he opted to represent his country of birth.
He rose through the national youth ranks to earn three full caps for the senior national side and is the current captain of Germany's Under-21s.
Tottenham's assistant manager Steffen Freund is aware of the player's talents from his time coaching Germany's Under-16 and Under-17 sides.
"For Lewis it will not be a problem (adapting to English football)," Freund said.
"He is half-English, he loves the Premier League. He is captain of the Under-21s for Germany, he will lead the team at the European Championship in Israel.
"I worked for Under-16s and Under-17s for the last three years, that is why I don't know him really well but what I can say is that he is a really good player."