English Premier League Transfer Success: Rafael van der Vaart
Tottenham Hotspur’s Rafael van der Vaart is one of the transfer successes in this season’s English Premier League. The Dutchman’s transfer from Spanish side Real Madrid went through on the last day of the summer transfer window.
Van der Vaart was rumoured to be leaving Los Blancos in the summer of 2009, after coach Manuel Pellegrini made it clear that the Dutchman had no part to play in his future plans. Athough, he did not record many 1st team
starts, van der Vaart opted to stay at Bernabeu until the end of 2009/2010 season and saw-out his contract with the club.
With Tottenham qualifying for UEFA Champions League at the end of last season, manager Harry Redknapp was looking to add world class players to his squad, and the Spurs manager convinced Rafael to join him at White Hart Lane.
After his move to North London, van der Vaart has put on some brilliant performances for Spurs. Tottenham are fighting on domestic as well as European fronts this season and the former Ajax man has been a pivotal figure in every
match he has played.
Rafael scored his first goal for Spurs when he netted the equalizer in a 3-1 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, in the English Premier League. Against Aston Villa, van der Vaart helped his side come up from a goal down when
he scored a double; Spurs won the match 2-1.
Harry hailed his player after the game; he said, “Rafael is going great now, he's getting fitter and he'll only get stronger with games. The crowd here always like a good player and he could have scored even more”.
The talisman from Holland has also shined on the European stage for Tottenham, making 1 assist and scoring 1 goal in two appearances for the club.
His latest strike for Spurs came on Saturday against Everton FC, when he levelled the score 1-1 to earn Tottenham a home draw.
Van der Vaart is a versatile footballer; he may prefer to play in an attacking midfield role behind the striker or as a playmaker, but he is equally capable of running up and down on the wings. Despite Jermain Defoe’s absence because
of injury, Tottenham have been able to keep up in the Premier League race, thanks to the excellent partnership between Rafael and striker Peter Crouch.
Having scored 4 times in 3 home league matches, it is no surprise that the former Real Madrid player has made himself a favourite among the Spurs faithful.
In recognition for his magnificent displays in the league, Spurs no.11 has been nominated for October’s player of the month in the Premier League.
Having spent only £ 8 million on the transfer, Harry must be feeling awfully satisfied from his summer recruitment.
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