• Premier League

Vertonghen eyes Spurs title bid

New Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen has told ESPN he expects his new side to launch a title challenge this season.

The north London club were on the coat-tails of eventual champions Manchester City at the midway point of last season, before going on a poor run and eventually finishing fourth behind both Manchester clubs and north London rivals Arsenal.

When asked by ESPN at the launch of the new Spurs kit about the prospect of a title challenge, the Belgian said: "Why not? When I see these players, there is a lot of quality and possibility to be in first position.

"They were in the title race last year, this year I want to do the same and keep it going for longer."

Having finally secured his move, rumoured to be for a fee in the region of £9.5 million, Vertonghen spoke about the frustration of how long it took for the deal to conclude.

"I was worried, though I always was convinced the deal would go through," he said. "I went to my manager [Ajax boss Frank de Boer] and said 'please close the deal because I really want to go to Spurs'."

Vertonghen praised Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy for his desire to conclude the deal.

"He invited me to the club, he came to Amsterdam, he told me how he really wanted to have me at the club," Vertonghen said. "He gave me an amazing feeling about the club, for me that is the most important because i want to feel what a club wants from me."

Jan Vertonghen was speaking at the launch of Tottenham's new Under Armour kit. Under Armour is the Official Technical Partner of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

Under Armour is a leading performance apparel, footwear and accessories brand. For details of the new kit go to www.tottenhamhotspur.com

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.