By James Dall Last updated: 4th July 2008
Emnes: Boro switch
Middlesbrough have completed the signing of forward Marvin Emnes from Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam.
The 20-year-old has joined for a fee of €4million (£3.2million) and agreed a four-year contract at The Riverside after passing a medical.
Emnes reportedly attracted interest from a number of European clubs after he scored eight goals in 26 games last term and was named as Sparta fans' player of the year.
Boro, however, have won the race to secure his signature, and manager Gareth Southgate has expressed his delight at the capture.
"We feel we have signed an exciting young player in Marvin," Southgate told the club's official website.
"Last season was his breakthrough year at Sparta Rotterdam and he ended the campaign with a flurry, scoring eight goals in his final 10 games.
"He can play anywhere across the front line, so he has versatility to go with pace, energy and technical skills.
"Marvin is very enthusiastic about coming to England and the challenge of Premier League football.
"He also fits the profile of the sort of players we want at Middlesbrough, in that he is a young player with hunger, energy and pace."

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 21st November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 17:45 | Roda JC vs AZ |
| 18:45 | NAC vs NEC |
| 18:45 | RKC vs FC Groningen |
| 19:45 | FC Twente vs Vitesse |
| Sunday 22nd November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 11:30 | Feyenoord vs FC Utrecht |
| 13:30 | Ajax vs Heerenveen |
| 13:30 | VVV vs Sparta |
| 13:30 | Willem II vs ADO Den Haag |
| 15:30 | PSV vs Heracles |
| Friday 27th November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 19:45 | Sparta vs PSV |
| Saturday 28th November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 17:45 | AZ vs VVV |
| 18:45 | Heerenveen vs RKC |
| 18:45 | Heracles vs Roda JC |
| 19:45 | Willem II vs FC Twente |
| Sunday 29th November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 11:30 | ADO Den Haag vs Feyenoord |
| 11:30 | Vitesse vs Ajax |
| 13:30 | FC Groningen vs NEC |
| 13:30 | FC Utrecht vs NAC |
| Friday 4th December | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 19:45 | AZ vs Vitesse |
| 19:45 | Roda JC vs ADO Den Haag |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 8th November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| FC Twente 1 - 0 Ajax | |
| AZ 1 - 1 Feyenoord | |
| ADO Den Haag 1 - 5 PSV | |
| FC Utrecht 2 - 3 Heerenveen | |
| NAC 4 - 0 Willem II | |
| Saturday 7th November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| NEC 0 - 1 RKC | |
| Sparta 1 - 2 Roda JC | |
| Vitesse 2 - 0 VVV | |
| Friday 6th November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| FC Groningen 4 - 1 Heracles | |
| Sunday 1st November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| Sparta 2 - 0 NEC | |
| Heracles 3 - 1 FC Utrecht | |
| RKC 0 - 1 Willem II | |
| Ajax 5 - 1 Feyenoord | |
| Saturday 31st October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| FC Groningen 0 - 1 AZ | |
| PSV 1 - 0 Vitesse | |
| Roda JC 1 - 2 FC Twente | |
| Heerenveen 3 - 0 ADO Den Haag | |
| Friday 30th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| VVV 1 - 1 NAC | |
| Sunday 25th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| NEC 0 - 4 PSV | |
| Willem II 4 - 1 Heerenveen | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Twente | 13 | 35 |
| 2 | PSV Eindhoven | 13 | 33 |
| 3 | Ajax | 13 | 29 |
| 4 | Feyenoord | 13 | 24 |
| 5 | FC Utrecht | 13 | 22 |
| 6 | NAC Breda | 13 | 20 |
| 7 | Heracles Almelo | 13 | 20 |
| 8 | AZ Alkmaar | 13 | 19 |
| 9 | Sparta Rotterdam | 13 | 17 |
| 10 | Vitesse Arnhem | 13 | 14 |
| 11 | Heerenveen | 13 | 14 |
| 12 | Groningen | 13 | 13 |
| 13 | Willem II | 13 | 13 |
| 14 | Roda JC Kerk | 13 | 13 |
| 15 | ADO Den Haag | 13 | 12 |
| 16 | VVV | 13 | 11 |
| 17 | NEC Nijmegen | 13 | 11 |
| 18 | RKC | 13 | 6 |
Sunderland fan Lucinda Gittins was strutting her stuff in the Soccer AM studios this week.
Barca were stunned by a late leveller, Gers' match was abandoned while Inter march on in Serie A.
Gorgeous QPR fan Katie Moran was strutting her stuff in the Soccer AM studios this week.
PSV Eindhoven and NAC Breda were big winners in the Eredivisie but it is FC Twente who remain top.
Saturday brought much-needed victories for Vitesse Arnhem, Roda JC and RKC Waalwijk.
Groningen moved away from the Eredivisie drop zone with an emphatic 4-1 success over Heracles Almelo.
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Vitesse Arnhem have signed former Feyenoord defender Serginho Greene until the end of the season.