Jan Vertonghen believes he is ready to face the challenges of the Premier League head on after agreeing to join Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs new boy looking forward to English challenge

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Jan Vertonghen believes he is ready to face the challenges of the Premier League head on after agreeing to join Tottenham Hotspur. The centre-half arrives at White Hart Lane having forged quite a reputation during his time at Ajax. A number of clubs were keen to add his defensive qualities to their ranks, but it is Spurs who have secured his signature. Vertonghen is delighted to have seen a protracted transfer saga reach a conclusion and is confident he can handle the demands of life in the English top-flight. "I am very relieved," he told. "It went on for a long time, but I'm glad I'm a Tottenham player right now and I'm looking forward to playing for the club. "I am 25 years old now and I feel ready to play in the Premier League. I have heard a lot of good stories from my Belgian team-mates. I think I'm ready."Tottenham first made their interest in Vertonghen known during Harry Redknapp's managerial reign, but he has since been replaced by Andre Villas-Boas. Vertonghen said: "I heard that Harry Redknapp really wanted me to play for Tottenham, but now it's Andre Villas-Boas. To me, that doesn't matter. I just want to play for the club and I hope I can please the fans at the club." Spurs have already agreed a deal for Hoffenheim playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson this summer and are doing all they can to keep the highly sought-after Luka Modric in north London. Vertonghen hopes the Croatian can be persuaded to stay, with Tottenham setting their sights on another top-four challenge next season. He said: "They have a lot of good players and I hope they will stay. I am not one of the directors, but I hope the players will stay and we will have a good team next year."