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News articles with quotes from people who matter are generally better than news articles with no quotes, but there's something fishy about the quotes from Steven Defour's agent Paul Stefani about a potential move to Tottenham Hotspur. The Daily Star ran these words from the representative of the FC Porto and Belgium man.
"Aston Villa? It can become real. There was interest from a few other clubs in England but to say that he may sign there tomorrow? No. Anderlecht has been the most concrete from the beginning. They always said they wanted to have Steven. Of course Anderlecht has a chance but Steven receives phone calls from other agents who promise him a transfer to Tottenham. It is normal that when you hear the name of Tottenham, we want to think."
In addition to Villa, the story also links Defour to Anderlecht. Tottenham Hotspur's stated ambitions and recent signings don't suggest that they'd be terribly interested in a player who is not automatically first choice at Porto and has drummed up interest from Villa and Anderlecht.
More likely than not, this is a case of an agent trying to get teams with more money and prestige than the ones who are actually interested in his client to look into signing him. If he has an offer from Villa and shoots for Tottenham, maybe he ends up at an Everton, Newcastle or Southampton.
Then again, Defour is a defensive midfielder and Spurs seem willing to listen to offers for Etienne Capoue. If Tim Sherwood has declared Capoue as surplus to requirements for reasons other than his abilities as a footballer, he might be looking to bring in a defensive midfielder to replace him. It's not likely, but it's plausible.
For now, think of this as agent-speak with little basis in reality.
