Willian admits Premier League appeal.
Shakhtar Donetsk forward Willian has professed that he would love a move to London and has sparked attention from Tottenham, according to the Metro.
The skilful Brazilian signed for Donetsk back in 2007 for £9.3m and has impressed with his performances in the Champions League for the Ukranian club. Willian’s pregnant wife is shopping for baby clothes with the playmaker in London, but the stay could become permanent if the midfielder gets his wish of a move to London.
Willian said: “I would love to play in England. The league is one of the best and there are some great clubs here; clubs with big players who play attractive football. I’d be very happy to play for Tottenham and help them get back into the Champions League. They’re a very big club. I like London a lot. There are so many people, lots of shops and restaurants. It’s like Sao Paulo. I think my style of play would suit the Premier League,” the Brazilian added.
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Spurs make Diarra progress.
Tottenham Hotspur have made a breakthrough in their protracted pursuit of Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra, The Guardian reports.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is a big admirer of the French midfielder and managed him at Portsmouth. He attempted to bring Diarra from Madrid last summer, but the stumbling block proved to be the £120,000 a week wages that Diarra collects in the Bernabeu.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is compiling a package for Diarra, including bonuses and a large signing-on fee, and believes that the 26-year-old could be a Spurs player before the end of this summer’s transfer window. The signing of Diarra, coupled with the possible loan deal for Manchester City forward Emmanuel Adebayor, could convince Luka Modric and Gareth Bale that the club are moving forwards and hold large ambitions like those two players.
Spurs hammer Hearts.
Tottenham began their quest to get into the Europa League knockout phases with a resounding 5-0 away victory at Hearts, tottenhamhotspur.com reports.
A raucous Tynecastle crowd was not enough to stop Spurs taking full advantage in the tie and they now go back to White Hart Lane for the second leg next week, leaving Hearts a massive mountain to climb. Goals from Rafael van der Vaart, Jermain Defoe, Jake Livermore, Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon gave Spurs the victory and their biggest European win away from home since a trip to Irish side Drogheda in 1983.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was impressed with his team’s performance in their first competitive game of the season and believed that the first half display was one of the best performances he has seen from his Spurs side.
Redknapp said: “We started the game so well, we moved the ball around fantastic in that first half. I’d say that’s as good as I’ve seen us play to be honest. The football in that first half, I just enjoyed watching us play. It was excellent.”
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