AVB plots 50m revolution as Tottenham target Champions League

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UPDATED:

06:14 GMT, 4 July 2012

Andre Villas-Boas has been handed a 50m war-chest to help him crack the Premier League after being confirmed as Tottenham's new manager.

The 34-year-old Portuguese, sacked by Chelsea in March, has been given the go-ahead to spend big as Spurs target a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League.

Man about town: Andre Villas-Boas is paraded by Tottenham just four months after he was sacked by London rivals Chelsea

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will press
ahead with a 20million move for Marseille striker Loic Remy, who
scored 14 goals last season, reports the Daily Mirror.

Levy also hopes to strike a deal with
Manchester City for Emmanuel Adebayor, who enjoyed a successful loan
spell at White Hart Lane last
season.

He also wants Ajax and Belgium
defender Jan Vertonghen (10m), Hoffenheim midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson
(8m) and CSKA Moscow and Russia midfielder Alan Dzagoev (12m).

Spurs could rival Manchester United for Portugal midfielder Joao Moutinho and are also tracking Jack Butland, the teenage Birmingham keeper who was a surprise choice
for England’s Euro 2012 squad.

To fund the new signings, Tottenham
will finally sell midfielder Luka Modric, who has been linked with Real
Madrid, Chelsea and both Manchester clubs.

Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart
could also leave, with German club Hamburg, where he played from
2005-2008, keen to re-sign him.

All smiles: Villas-Boas familiarises himself with his new surrounding at Spurs Lodge

AVB claimed at the start that his Chelsea project was a three-year plan, but was sacked even before his first season was over.

Now he has a three-year deal at Spurs after being confirmed as replacement for Harry Redknapp, who
was sacked last month despite delivering three top-five finishes.

But the 34-year-old’s appointment
only four months after his sacking by Chelsea drew quick criticism from
former Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle.

‘I did not think that is the way
Spurs would go,’ Hoddle told ESPN. ‘It’s more than a slight risk because
of the way things didn’t work out at Chelsea.

‘I thought it might have been better
for him to go and reinvent himself elsewhere before he had another crack
at English football.’

All smiles: Andre Villas-Boas at Tottenham's training ground in Chigwell

Focus: AVB gets used to his new surroundings across London

Villas-Boas
was in London on Tuesday to complete the deal to become Harry
Redknapp’s successor, bringing trusted aides Jose Mario Rocha and Daniel
Sousa with him as he bids to repair his reputation after poor results
and talk of rifts with senior players marred his time at Stamford
Bridge.

‘Tottenham Hotspur is a great club
with a strong tradition and fantastic support, both at home and
throughout the world. I feel privileged to be its coach,’ said
Villas-Boas. ‘For me, this is one of the most exciting coaching
positions in the Premier League.

‘I have had several discussions with the chairman and the board and I share their vision for the future progress of this club.

‘This is a squad any coach would love to work with and together I believe we can bring success in the seasons ahead.’

Chairman Daniel Levy will open the chequebook to help Villas-Boas reaffirm his position as one of Europe’s best coaches.

‘We are constantly looking to move the club forward,’ said Levy. ‘It is important we now look to develop the potential within the squads at all levels while strengthening the first team in the summer in key positions with players who will become part of the future success of this club.’

On his way: Gylfi Sigurdsson is expected to become Villas-Boas' first signing

While Villas-Boas’s official title of
head coach indicates he will not have total control over the club’s
transfer policy, the Portuguese is wasting no time in strengthening his
new squad.

Villas-Boas, who tried to sign Modric for Chelsea last summer, is privately resigned to losing the influential midfielder, with the Bernabeu his likely destination.

There are also concerns over current goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Heurelho Gomes and resolving the uncertainty over Ledley King’s playing future is also believed to be high on Villas-Boas’s agenda.

The club captain’s contract expired on Sunday but he will test out his troublesome knee in pre-season before making a final decision on whether to retire. Villas-Boas would be forced to pick a new skipper if King retires, with Scott Parker and Michael Dawson early contenders for the armband.

In addition to Rocha and Sousa joining the club’s coaching set-up, it is understood Villas-Boas wants to add another two members to his backroom team.

On his way out: Luka Modric is wanted by Spanish giants Real Madrid

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS FACTFILE

1977: Born in Porto on October 17.
1993: Invited to work as a trainee with FC Porto's youth-team coaches by manager Sir Bobby Robson.
1994: Achieves UEFA C coaching licence in Scotland.
2000: Takes charge of the British Virgin Islands for two international matches. Both end in defeat.
2002: Becomes part of Jose Mourinho's backroom staff at Porto.
2004: Follows Mourinho to Chelsea, where he works as an opposition scout.
2008: Moves with Mourinho to Inter Milan.
2009: Appointed manager of Academica in October, with the club bottom of the table and without a win. Villas-Boas guides them to an 11th-place finish and a Portuguese League Cup semi-final.
2010: June 2 – Appointed manager of boyhood club Porto.
August 7 – Wins Portuguese Supercup with 2-0 victory over Benfica.
2011: April 3 – Leads Porto to their 25th league title, finishing with their biggest ever winning margin of 21 points.
May 18 – Porto win the Europa League with a 1-0 triumph over fellow Portuguese side Braga.
May 22 – Guides Porto to a trophy treble with a comprehensive 6-2 win over Vitoria de Guimaraes in Portuguese Cup final.
June 21 – Porto confirm Villas-Boas has tendered his resignation and his contract will be terminated once his 15million euros release clause has been paid.
Porto later announce they have received the required compensation, with Chelsea releasing a short statement confirming their interest in Villas-Boas and their intention to agree personal terms in the near future.
June 22 – Appointed Chelsea manager on a three-year contract.
June 30 – Wins first piece of silverware as Chelsea manager, taking the Barclays Asia Trophy.
August 14 – Draws first match of the Premier League season 0-0 away at Stoke.
September 18 – Suffers first defeat of the season with a 3-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
December 6 – Chelsea win their final Champions League group game 3-0 against Valencia with Leverkusen's 1-1 draw with Genk meaning they qualify from their group.
December 12 – Chelsea become first team in 2011/2012 season to defeat Manchester City coming from behind with goals from Raul Meireles and a late penalty by Frank Lampard.
February 21 – Leaves Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien out of the team as Chelsea fall to a 3-1 defeat in their first leg Champions League tie with Napoli. Chelsea now have a record of one win in the last seven games and is
under pressure at the club from fans and players alike with Ashley Cole in particular criticising his tactics.
March 4 – Sacked by Chelsea a day after a 1-0 defeat at West Brom.
July 3 – Confirmed as Tottenham's new head coach.