Moutinho move pleases Villas-Boas

Andre Villas-Boas says he never expected to complete the capture of Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho on deadline day.

The Tottenham manager was one of Friday’s most active, completing deals for Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and bringing in Fulham forward Clint Dempsey.

And, though the north London outfit failed in their pursuit of the Portuguese playmaker, their 34-year-old manager praised the work of club chairman Daniel Levy.

“This has been a busy transfer window and I cannot praise highly enough the efforts the club made to sign Joao Moutinho,” he told Spurs’ official website.

“I have said all along that this was never an easy transfer and as such we never had enormous expectations of getting this deal across the line.”

The former Chelsea coach went on to explain the decision to allow midfielder Rafael van der Vaart to leave for Hamburg on the final day of the transfer window.

“The additions we have made in midfield coupled with the existing players we have in this position gives us exceptional cover in this department, which resulted in us being prepared to release Rafael van der Vaart,” he added.

The Portuguese also expressed his delight with Tottenham’s squad depth following their summer acquisitions.

“I believe we have some fantastic attacking options following our summer transfer activity, which strengthen us in respect of what I like to describe as forwards and strikers. Our signings offer us really good combinations,” Villas-Boas said.

“I believe the window was a good one for us. I am satisfied that we have the flair, creativity and strength in depth across all areas to make significant strides this season. The most important thing now is to get on with playing football and winning games.”