Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas says that the club were close to completing the capture of Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho on deadline day.
Spurs were one of Friday’s most active clubs, 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.
“The deal was almost done but there were problems with the contract. It was always a difficult deal to complete and we were ready for it not to happen,” Villas-Boas told Sky Sports after his side’s 1-1 draw with Norwich on Saturday.
“The player terms were agreed a little late but I am extremely happy with the amount of players we have.”
He had earlier told Spurs’ official website: “This has been a busy transfer window and I cannot praise highly enough the efforts the club made to sign Joao Moutinho.”
“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 continued.
“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.”