“I am delighted to be here. For me personally, I want to make sure I work hard and fight for a starting place in the team. I know it won’t be easy but I am mentally strong to do that. As for the team, we are not far off first place in the Premier League so I think we’ve got a good chance to go all the way and win a trophy this season.”
“When you look at the way the team has been playing, they are really serious challengers for the cups, while the run in the Champions League has made a lot of people change their minds about Spurs.”
“I hope to bring a lot of energy, creativity and of course hard work to the team. I always put the team before myself and I think that’s important as a player.”
“Of course, as a player, you want to play in a good team and challenge yourself and that’s what I always try to do as an individual. Every footballer wants to play in the big games. I’ve got some good history against AC Milan because I scored against them in the Champions League so if I do get an opportunity against them with Spurs, hopefully I’ll do the same again.”
“There is a great manager at this club and one of my team-mates with the national team plays here [Bongani Khumalo] and he told me about the club, that it’s a big club, it’s a club on the up that plays good football.”
“The style of football is really important. I played with Rafa [van der Vaart] at Ajax and we played attacking football and I want to be in a team that plays attacking football that is exciting for the supporters to watch.”
“I played with Rafa when I was at Ajax. We were both young, but even then he was a really good player, he was my captain at Ajax and I’m happy with the way things have worked out for him so far. I am definitely looking forward to playing with him again. But not just Rafa, all the players here because the football is exciting, it makes me excited and I can’t wait. That is one of the reasons I decided to join Spurs.”
“I have played a few times against Spurs and I know the Club have a big following in South Africa so, for me, being from there, it was an easy choice to make.”
“Bongani is a young player, very intelligent footballer and I think as time goes on he will develop and become a good centre back, hopefully as good as Lucas Radebe was. Everyone in South Africa and me personally as well think he will be the future captain of the national team so let’s hope everything goes according to plan for him.”
On Newcastle – “I’ve seen them play a few times. They have some exciting players, they are a hard-working, physical team and they can play good football. It is going to be a tough game but we just have to go out there and play our own game.”
“There is a lot of creativity in this Spurs team and a lot of goals also. Everyone can score from all over the team so that is important, but also we have to make sure we don’t concede.”
“It will definitely be easier for me to settle in [having played in the Premier League for Everton], the language won’t be a problem, than moving to another country for example. I know the league and so I think I will feel at home. I am really looking forward to it and can’t wait to join up with the team.”
