Spurs Reportedly Sign Lewis Holtby to January Transfer

German midfielder Lewis Holtby signed a summer pre-contract with Tottenham Hotspur 24 days ago. Since then, rumors have swirled over whether the Schalke star would join Spurs in January. Tottenham Hotspur repeatedly said no, but apparently Sandro's injury proved the impetus to get this deal done now.

Multiple reports state that Tottenham Hotspur has signed a £1.5 million (€1.75m) transfer deal with Schalke for Holtby's immediate transfer. The midfielder is reportedly flying to London to take a physical and sign a new contract. As part of the deal, Schalke will apparently receive the revenues of a future friendly match against the Premier League club.

Holtby's arrival will provide a major boon to the Tottenham Hotspur attack. Holtby, 22, has earned plaudits in both leading Schalke and captaining the German U-21 side. A strong all-around player, Holtby has shown a skill to distribute from deep, as well as make great attacking runs into the box. However, it would appear that Holtby's arrival would further marginalize Gylfi Sigurdsson, who again struggled against Leeds United in Spurs' FA Cup loss on the weekend.

Tactically, it will be interesting to see how Holtby fills in. Most likely he would slot in at attacking midfield, battling Clint Dempsey (currently in his strongest form of the season) for playing time. However, Holtby has shown an ability to play deeper on the pitch, leading some to wonder if he could slot into the Spurs double pivot in the central midfield.

Regardless, it seems Tottenham Hotspur just got a big addition as they push for a top-4 finish in the Premier League and a strong Europe League performance.