Tottenham eager to speed up Lewis Holtby transfer from Schalke

Injury to Sandro has caused Spurs to act

Richard Browne
Thursday 17 January 2013 10:51 EST
Comments
Lewis Holtby
Lewis Holtby (GETTY IMAGES)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Andre Villas-Boas is believed to be attempting to bring forward the club's signing of Lewis Holtby to the current transfer window, as Tottenham face the possibility of central midfielder Sandro missing the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.

A pre-contract agreement has been signed by Holtby with a view to moving to Tottenham from Schalke on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Sandro landed awkwardly during Tottenham's draw with QPR on Saturday and scans confirmed a serious knee injury. The surgery - which the club said had already taken place - and subsequent rehabilitation looks set to keep him out of action for a lengthy period, possibly the remainder of this season.

That injury means that midfielders Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone, both being linked with moves away from White Hart Lane this month, could become more involved in Villas-Boas' plans, even if Scott Parker is returning to fitness after his own absence through injury.

Another option is for Tottenham to pay Schalke a cut-price fee to bring forward Holtby's transfer, which the German club may be open to, instead of losing their player for free come the summer. If Holtby is brought in this month, that may pave the way for Livermore to be loaned to QPR and Huddlestone to leave the club, with Fulham reported as being interested.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in