Tottenham agree to sign Vlad Chiriches from Steaua Bucharest

The centre-back crisis that never really was now definitely isn't, as a number of reports including the below tweet from Romanian football blogger Radu Baicu indicate that Spurs have agreed a deal with Steaua Bucharest defender Vlad Chiriches after his club sanctioned a transfer last week.

Chiriches has agreed personal terms with #THFC. Deal can be closed right after the medical check.

— Radu Baicu (@rbaicu) August 27, 2013

Chiriches has by all accounts signed a five-year deal worth €1.2m. His arrival will provide a fantastic boost to an already comfortably strong Tottenham back line, and I'd expect to see him come straight into the side as a Europa league starter and build towards a first team place as the season wears on. Chiriches' technical ability with the ball at his feet and aggressive style of play, both of which render him in my opinion very similar to Jan Vertonghen, will strengthen a Tottenham side built around pressing and a possession-retaining approach.

Keep refreshing Spurs Official's Twitter feed for an announcement, which should drop in the next day or so. In the interim, I'm going to keep musing on how I can somehow make a 'what else is in the teaches of Chiriches' joke that I've been sitting on since the rumours first popped up work. Routinely mispronouncing his name may be a start.