Midfielder Hossam Ghaly joined Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur amid a media blackout caused by the African Cup of Nations that took place in Egypt over the past month. The 24-year-old Egyptian international joined Tottenham from Dutch side Feyenoord on a four-and-a-half-year contract during the January transfer window. Ghaly, who missed out on Egypt's African title campaign due to injury, opened up to Filgoal.com about the move to White Hart Lane and Mido's role in the deal, what Spurs coach Martin Jol told him and what he learnt during his three years abroad. - How did the deal go through? Ghaly: All the negotiations took place through my agent who happens to be a good friend of coach Jol. The Tottenham boss had seen me play during a friendly tournament in Spain and was happy with my performance, which led my agent to open talks with the Dutchman who chose to postpone the talks until the winter transfer window due to the excessive number of midfielders he had in his squad. When the Spurs released three of their midfielders in January, the deal went through very smoothly. - When did you find out about the negotiations? Ghaly: My agent came to Cairo where I was on a short vacation. He informed me that Feyenoord are waiting on my decision, and when I gave him my approval he agreed a deal and I traveled to London to undergo a medical.
Mido put in a good word for Ghaly at Tottenham - And what happened in London? Ghaly: After completing the medical I talked with coach Jol who welcomed me to the team and asked me to resume my recuperation period from the slight injury I am nursing currently. He also said that the style of play in the Premiership is different from the Dutch league and that I will be required to go forward and have a positive approach. What the manager told me made me very happy because I tend to step up and support the strikers, which caused me a lot of problems with my Feyenoord coach in the past. - What are the financial details of the deal? Ghaly: Feyenoord received 3 million euros, in addition to what I got. - Why did you agree moving to Tottenham? Ghaly: The Premiership is much stronger than the Dutch league, and even though Feyenoord is a strong team, I believe the move will benefit my career. The Premiership is one of the strongest competitions in the world and many coaches, agents and fans follow it, which is all to my benefit, so I didn't hesitate about completing the move.
I learnt the true meaning of professionalism and that every player has his rights and his responsibilities, which are things I didn't comprehend before I moved to Holland. - Did you ever expect that you could join Spurs? Ghaly: Actually I didn't, especially at this time, because my professional experience in Europe did not exceed three years. - What's the truth about Arsenal's negotiations with you? Ghaly: A few months ago I learnt that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been following my progress and came to watch me play with Feyenoord. Wenger met with my agent and told him was looking for a replacement for Patrick Vieira, but negotiations never reached a serious level because big teams tend to keep an eye on several players at the same time until they decide on the best option. Anyways, I didn't pay attention to Arsenal's offer because it would have affected my performance with Feyenoord. - How do you see your move to Tottenham? Ghaly: Tottenham is a strong team, and if things go well, we will play in the UEFA Champions League next season, which will in turn give me a chance to pursue an even bigger team in the future. - How does it feel teaming up with Mido? Ghaly:
