Spurs: Van Bommel exit looms as PSV admit defeat.

By Gary Beaumont
March 23 2004

PSV president Harry van Raaij has confirmed that Mark Van Bommel is set to leave Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven this summer. "He needs a change of scene and to find new challenges," said van Raaij. "The Dutch championship does not inspire him anymore."

It has been no secret that most Spurs supporters would welcome him to the lane and that they feel he could play a pivotal role in improving the fortunes of Tottenham Hotspur football club. It would appear that Van Bommel would be keen on a move to the premiership and according to his agent (Karel Jansen) Tottenham is a real possibility.

“The Premiership is Mark's favoured destination and I think it's likely he will leave in the summer. I think he would like to join a club like Spurs, with great tradition and lots of very good players. It doesn't matter too much that Spurs are unlikely to be in Europe. When you are playing in a league like the Premiership you've got great games every week.”

However Tottenham face stiff competition for his signature from a whole host of top clubs, which includes the likes of Schalke and Chelsea.
If they are to be believed some reports emanating from Holland already suggest that Schalke have started negotiations with PSV on a possible transfer for the Dutch international.
Chelsea on the other hand are something of an unknown entity and already boast some very good midfielders on their books, however this could seem an attractive option for Ranieri as he looks to build his squad furthermore. It is also claimed that Chelsea already have an agreement with PSV which entitles them to 1st refusal on any of their players which along with their endless pot of gold may be just too good an offer for him to turn down, if they decide to table an offer that is.

It is also worth noting that most Tottenham fans will be very cautious about reacting to such speculation until they see Van Bommel being paraded around White Hart Lane in a Tottenham Shirt. We are all quite aware that the club is an easy target for the media and especially money grabbing agents. Quite often agents will look to use Tottenham as means to create greater interest in order to line their own pockets further.
We have yet to see quotes directly from Mark Van Bommel and it would be wise be very cautious about this “breaking news” until the signing is confirmed.

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