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."

Beckham - Henry isn't a cheat
League One Round Up - 21st November
Championship Round Up - 21st November
League Two Round Up - 21st November
Tottenham v Wigan - 2nd Half
Tottenham v Wigan - 1st Half
Stoke 1-0 Portsmouth - Fuller and Sorensen
Tottenham 9-1 Wigan - Defoe
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| 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 | NAC vs Sparta |
| 19:45 | Roda JC vs ADO Den Haag |
| 19:45 | VVV vs Willem II |
| Sunday 6th December | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 11:30 | FC Utrecht vs Ajax |
| 13:30 | Feyenoord vs FC Groningen |
| 13:30 | RKC vs PSV |
| 15:30 | Heracles vs Heerenveen |
| 15:30 | NEC vs FC Twente |
| Friday 11th December | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 19:45 | Ajax vs NEC |
| Saturday 12th December | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 17:45 | VVV vs RKC |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 22nd November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| Feyenoord 0 - 0 FC Utrecht | |
| VVV 5 - 0 Sparta | |
| Willem II 1 - 1 ADO Den Haag | |
| Ajax 5 - 1 Heerenveen | |
| PSV 4 - 0 Heracles | |
| Saturday 21st November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| Roda JC 2 - 4 AZ | |
| RKC 3 - 1 FC Groningen | |
| NAC 3 - 3 NEC | |
| FC Twente 1 - 0 Vitesse | |
| Sunday 8th November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| NAC 4 - 0 Willem II | |
| FC Utrecht 2 - 3 Heerenveen | |
| ADO Den Haag 1 - 5 PSV | |
| AZ 1 - 1 Feyenoord | |
| FC Twente 1 - 0 Ajax | |
| Saturday 7th November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| Vitesse 2 - 0 VVV | |
| Sparta 1 - 2 Roda JC | |
| NEC 0 - 1 RKC | |
| Friday 6th November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| FC Groningen 4 - 1 Heracles | |
| Sunday 1st November | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| Ajax 5 - 1 Feyenoord | |
| RKC 0 - 1 Willem II | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Twente | 14 | 38 |
| 2 | PSV Eindhoven | 14 | 36 |
| 3 | Ajax | 14 | 32 |
| 4 | Feyenoord | 14 | 25 |
| 5 | FC Utrecht | 14 | 23 |
| 6 | AZ Alkmaar | 14 | 22 |
| 7 | NAC Breda | 14 | 21 |
| 8 | Heracles Almelo | 14 | 20 |
| 9 | Sparta Rotterdam | 14 | 17 |
| 10 | VVV | 14 | 14 |
| 11 | Vitesse Arnhem | 14 | 14 |
| 12 | Willem II | 14 | 14 |
| 13 | Heerenveen | 14 | 14 |
| 14 | Groningen | 14 | 13 |
| 15 | ADO Den Haag | 14 | 13 |
| 16 | Roda JC Kerk | 14 | 13 |
| 17 | NEC Nijmegen | 14 | 12 |
| 18 | RKC | 14 | 9 |
Barca and Real both won, Gers closed the gap on Celtic while Lyon and Marseille drew 5-5.
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.
PSV Eindhoven closed the gap on leaders FC Twente with a 4-0 win over Heracles, while Ajax thumped Heerenveen 5-1.
Twente midfielder Theo Janssen has suffered minor injuries after being involved in a car accident.
FC Twente have moved clear of PSV Eindhoven, RKC and AZ both won while NAC shared a six-goal thriller.
Groningen are waiting to discover if Oluwafemi Ajilore will be available to face RKC Waalwijk.
Roda JC Kerkrade have been unable to sign trialist Sebastian Svard due to financial constraints.