Tottenham completed the on-off signing of Southampton's Dean Richards this afternoon but it was sealed too late for the defender to make his debut against Liverpool at Anfield tomorrow.
Richards, 27, and his agent Ian Elliott were locked in talks with Spurs until the early hours of this morning but it was initially feared several remaining stumbling blocks would rule out a move before next week.
However Richards finally put inked a four-year Stg£8.1 million deal early this afternoon and will join his old manager Glen Hoddle, who also moved to Tottenham from Southampton. Hoddle was relieved that the protracted negotiations had finally been concluded after trying to sign Richards earlier in the season.
"I'm delighted to have him on board," said Hoddle.
"It's never easy when you're signing players these days and it had to be developed and negotiated.
"He's going to be a big plus to the squad and it sends out a signal that we're a club that wants to go somewhere.
"All the top clubs have got depth to their squads and we're trying to build that depth of squad here."
Tottenham had earlier tried to sign Richards for around £4 million after they lost Sol Campbell to Arsenal in the summer.
But Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe rejected the bid as too low and Richards enforced his worth during Tottenham's recent 2-0 win over the Saints.
"At 27, he should be at his peak," said Hoddle.
"I think he can get better - that's why we were prepared to pay the fee - and eventually he can push himself into the England squad. I certainly hope so because he's got a lot of talent."
Richards will not make his debut on Merseyside since the deal was concluded after the Football Association's noon deadline had expired for players to be eligible for their new clubs the next day.
He will now have to wait until Spurs take on Manchester United next week.