Rafael van der Vaart says he will show his true colours at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur’s latest signing Rafael Van Der Vaart has said that his time at Real Madrid may not have been ideal, but it was by no means a failure. Rafael said that he is delighted to have signed for Spurs and would make sure that he does not take this opportunity for granted.
The deal between Spurs and Real Madrid was completed on the 11th hour of the transfer deadline. Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp had said that he was only made aware that Rafael was available 2 hours before the transfer deadline. It was not till Wednesday that Premier League investigated and cleared the transfer. The deal was worth 8 million pounds, and Redknapp said that a player of Van der Vaart’s quality was a mere bargain at that price.
The Dutch midfielder felt that he was not needed at Madrid anymore; Mourinho had signed two German midfielders since taking over as manager: Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil were believed to be preferred players for the new season, so Rafael knew he was once again going to be a fringe player and decided to make his way out.
Van der Vaart, who was part of the Netherlands team that made it to the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, said that he has nothing to prove at Spurs but admitted that there would be a competition for places and he would have to bring his A-game to get a regular spot.
While talking to a British newspaper, he said that he enjoyed every moment of his time at Real Madrid, but now it had come to a point when he knew he had to move on.
Rafael said that he is at a stage of his career where he can no longer afford to be on the benches, and first-team football is essential for him, especially considering that the qualification campaign for Euro 2012 is underway and he would want to be playing for his country. He added that to be in the national team for Netherlands, he needs first-team football, and that is what he expects to get at Tottenham.
He said that Tottenham is a wonderful club, and the Premier League is one of the top leagues in the world. The left-winger added that he is very excited to be in London and is looking forward to having a fantastic season with Spurs. The Dutch international went on to say that Spurs would also be playing in Europe, and that was an added incentive for him to sign for them. Rafael said that every top player wants to be playing in Europe and with Spurs he has the chance to make history, as this is the first time they have managed to make it to the UEFA Champions League. He added that with his experience in Europe, he would surely be able to help the team in several ways.
Van der Vaart believes that it would not be a problem for him to adapt to the English Premier League. He added that it is different from the Spanish style of play; it’s much quicker and that would play to his advantage.
The midfielder said that there are some wonderful players in Tottenham and he would love to work alongside them and bounce off ideas. He said that there is always room for improvement and one can learn from every player in the team, so he would be open to ideas and would also love to give them when needed.
Tags: