Spurs win war over Woodgate

Jonathan Woodgate arrived in London today to seal to his £7.5million move to Tottenham despite claims of a late move to hijack the deal by a mystery club.

The Middlesbrough defender passed a medical at White Hart Lane over the weekend and returned to Spurs this afternoon to put the finishing touches on the deal.

His arrival in north London follows fevered speculation that the other club was Arsenal, although Arsene Wenger vehemently denied that was the case, saying his club "have never been in touch" with Boro about Woodgate.

Speculation reached fever pitch after Middlesbrough chief Keith Lamb revealed this morning that a fee for Woodgate had been agreed with a third club - as well as Spurs and Newcastle - which sources later identified as Arsenal.

Despite the concern following the revelation of of the third bidder - Woodgate has already rejected Newcastle - there was growing confidence at Spurs tonight that their deal will get the go ahead.

Woodgate is preparing to sign a three-and-a-half year contract, worth a basic rate of £55,000-aweek to play at White Hart Lane.

As of yet in this transfer window, Spurs have only bought Cardiff right-back Chris Gunter, although they still hope to conclude deals for Alan Hutton, Gilberto and Tiago.

Defender Hutton has returned to Glasgow after having held talks over the weekend regarding his £8m switch, but sources close to the 22-year-old believe the deal is still on.

He had been unwilling to leave Ibrox due to family reasons, but the right-back appears to have changed his mind after Rangers agreed to pay off his contract and give him £1m as part of the deal.

Gilberto is in London to complete his £2m move from Berlin, though Juventus's Tiago is still hesitant over his £9m transfer and is believed to want a move to Spain - with Atletico Madrid showing interest.