Tottenham complete Sigurdsson deal

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson less than 24 hours after appointing manager Andre Villas-Boas.



The Icelandic attacking midfielder joins from Hoffenheim for a fee of around £7 million, while Tottenham did not specify the length of his contract.



Sigurdsson spent the second half of last season on loan at Swansea City, who agreed a fee for the 22-year-old in May.



However, the move fell through after manager Brendan Rodgers left for Liverpool.



Villas-Boas was installed as head coach on Tuesday on a three-year deal, replacing Harry Redknapp.

Sigurdsson given Reds deadline

Gylfi Sigurdsson has been given until the end of the month by Hoffenheim in order to seal a move to Liverpool.



The 22-year-old spent six months on loan at Swansea last season and was due to complete a permanent £6.8million move to the Welsh club.



However, Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers' move to Anfield has complicated matters and the Iceland international has now set his heart on a move to the Reds in order to be re-united with his former boss.



The midfielder was due to return to pre-season training with Hoffenheim on Monday but the Bundesliga club have given him an extended holiday in order to seal a move to Merseyside.



Hoffenheim boss and former Liverpool defender Markus Babel has set a deadline of June 30 for Sigurdsson to complete a transfer or he will be forced to return to Germany.



"Gylfi want to stay in England and is in negotiations there. Thus, it makes no sense for both sides, for him to return to Hoffenheim, perhaps only for a few days," said Babel.



"If, by the deadline on 30 June, he has done nothing, then he is here and will return to his pre-season with us. We have agreed this with him."

Lagerback: Sigurdsson would shine at Liverpool

Iceland manager Lars Lagerback said a move to Liverpool could help mould Gylfi Sigurdsson into a world class player.



The midfielder spent a successful spell on loan at Swansea last season, after finding himself on the fringes of the first team at parent club Hoffenheim.



But, despite a fee and personal terms having been agreed, a permanent move to south Wales has been thrown into doubt after the club lost manager Brendan Rodgers to Liverpool.



The Reds are now reportedly set to hijack the transfer and Lagerback said playing alongside the likes of Steven Gerrard could benefit the 22-year-old.



He told the Sunday Mirror: "Gylfi had a fantastic season with Swansea and he has great quality. I was really impressed with what he did with Swansea and the way they played really suited him.



"He's a fantastic player at linking play around him and together with the players in his team.



"If he has some good players around him, then I think he's an absolutely top player – but he does need to be surrounded by quality.



"If that happens, then I think he could be a really world class player in the right environment."



Having been in charge of the Swedish national team for nine years, Lagerback knows a great deal about handling talented attackers such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson.



And the 63-year-old said Sigurdsson possesses different qualities to those players, but the Anfield-bound man is more than just a goalscoring midfielder.



"We have found a role for him in the Iceland team where he can be involved as much as possible and really influence the attacking part of our game," he added.



"He's not really like either of them (Ibrahimovic or Larsson) but there are elements of his game that are like Zlatan – he's not a goalscorer like Henrik was.



"He has fantastic feet and can shoot from anywhere but he’s more of a playmaker or an offensive midfielder with good shooting ability."

Reds close in on deal for Gylfi Sigurdsson

Liverpool have opened talks with Hoffenheim over a move for Gylfi Sigurdsson and a deal could be completed early next week.



Brendan Rodgers is keen to bring the midfielder to Anfield after the pair combined well during Sigurdsson's loan spell at Swansea last season.



The 22-year-old has privately expressed his desire to join Rodgers at Anfield, rather than join Swansea permanently.



Liverpool will pay in excess of the £6.8m fee Swansea agreed last month.



Sigurdsson had been on the brink of agreeing a permanent move to the South Wales club when Rodgers left for Anfield last month.



But despite having agreed terms with Swansea, Rodgers's departure prompted an immediate change of heart from Sigurdsson with the influence of his manager a key reason for his original decision.



The new Liverpool manager has made no secret of his desire to link-up with his former player, whom he also worked with in his brief spell at Reading in 2009."If he comes into the market for whatever reason - and I'm sure there'll be a number of clubs interested in Gylfi - then of course I would like to be in a position to put our case here at Liverpool to sign him," Rodgers said earlier this week."But I've always said I think he's a player Swansea have had an agreement with and they have to have every chance to try to sign him. That's only right. If anything changes from that, we'll look at it from there."



The personal wishes of Sigurdsson have, however, brought an end to Swansea's hopes of signing the player, leaving the way clear for Liverpool to make their first signing of a new era.



More are likely to follow. "I think there are a few players who can come in and improve the group straight away," Rodgers added. "I know the types of player I need to bring here to make us function well and that's something myself, the club and the board will look at.



"I know what we've got, more or less, in the squad, but I also know there are a couple of signings that could really improve what we do."

Liverpool Boss Brendan Rodgers Reiterates Gylfi Sigurdsson Desire

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has reiterated that he will be interested in signing Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson if his former club Swansea cannot close a deal.



Sigurdsson was on loan with Swansea last season from German outfit Hoffenheim and the Welsh side are in pole position to snap up the 22-year-old, who turned in a number of impressive performances under Rodgers when he joined the club in January.



Rodgers has since left Swansea for Anfield, and has taken his appreciation of Sigurdsson with him, though he accepts his former team must have first crack at taking the Iceland star on a permanent basis.



If that does not happen though, Rodgers is more than ready to pounce.



"I took him on loan for the second half of last season and he did very, very well. He scored seven goals and made a real, positive contribution", Rodgers told Liverpool’s official site.



"I wanted to sign him for Swansea but, like I’ve said to him and his representatives, that has to be his first port of call.



"If he comes into the market for whatever reason – and I’m sure there’ll be a number of clubs interested in Gylfi – then of course I would like to be in a position to put our case here at Liverpool to sign him.



"But I’ve always said, I think he’s a player Swansea have had an agreement with and they have to have every chance to try and sign him. That’s only right."



While all eyes are on Euro 2012, Rodgers is quietly going about his business with Liverpool and drawing up his list of summer transfer targets.



Estimates of how much the Northern Irishman has been handed to spend by the club’s owners vary, but it is thought to be a figure north of £30M, with any proceeds from player sales being added on top of that.

Reds win Sigurdsson race

Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson is to meet with the new manager at Swansea and explain why he is joining Liverpool.



The Reds look to have won the race to sign the attacking midfielder who did so well under Brendan Rodgers at Swansea last season whilst on loan from Germany.



The Swans had wanted to take him on a permanent deal and that looked likely to happen if Rodgers had stayed in Wales but as soon as he moved to Anfield all bets were off and Sigurdsson changed his mind.



The midfielder wants to meet Swansea's new boss, expected to be former Denmark star Michael Laudrup, to explain why he has decided against completing a £6.8million move from Hoffenheim to Swansea and instead will go to Liverpool.