Tottenham finally tempt Hutton south

Alan Hutton has completed his move from Rangers FC to Tottenham Hotspur FC for a reported fee of £8m (€10.7m). "Throughout the club there is disappointment that he's leaving, but clearly it was an offer we couldn't turn down," said the Scottish club's manager, Walter Smith.

Bids rejected
The 23-year-old right-back becomes the second most expensive Scottish international to move to England following goalkeeper Craig Gordon's £9m (€12.1m) transfer from Heart of Midlothian FC to Sunderland AFC last summer. Hutton, who signed a new five-year contract at Ibrox last year, had rejected two previous bids to join the north London club, but a third approach was successful. "We are delighted to announce we have reached agreement with Rangers for the transfer of Alan Hutton," said a Tottenham statement.

'All the best'
Smith said: "Everyone at the club is disappointed that he's leaving. The clubs agreed a fee a couple of weeks ago and it was up to Alan to decide what he wanted to do. He took his time as he has told me that he was enjoying his football here and he wasn't in too much of a rush to go anywhere. But as the weeks have gone on he has decided it was the right time for him and we wish him well in that respect."

Follows Woodgate
Hutton becomes Tottenham's second major defensive acquisition of the week, Juande Ramos having paid a reported €10.5m for the Middlesbrough FC centre-back Jonathan Woodgate. The Spanish coach is keen to add extra quality to his squad with a League Cup final against Chelsea FC to come in addition to their UEFA Cup commitments. Spurs - who will sell winger Wayne Routledge to Aston Villa FC for €1.6m - meet SK Slavia Praha in the Round of 32 next month, when Rangers tackle Panathinaikos FC.