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."
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Friday 17th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 19:45 | ADO Den Haag vs FC Volendam |
| Saturday 18th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 17:45 | FC Twente vs Heracles |
| 18:45 | NAC vs PSV |
| 18:45 | Roda JC vs Heerenveen |
| 19:45 | Ajax vs FC Groningen |
| Sunday 19th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 11:30 | NEC vs Vitesse |
| 13:30 | De Graafschap vs AZ |
| 13:30 | Sparta vs FC Utrecht |
| 13:30 | Willem II vs Feyenoord |
| Friday 24th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 19:45 | Heracles vs ADO Den Haag |
| Saturday 25th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 17:45 | AZ vs FC Volendam |
| 18:45 | FC Groningen vs Sparta |
| 18:45 | Willem II vs De Graafschap |
| 19:45 | PSV vs Roda JC |
| Sunday 26th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 11:30 | Feyenoord vs Heerenveen |
| 13:30 | Ajax vs NEC |
| 13:30 | FC Utrecht vs NAC |
| 13:30 | Vitesse vs FC Twente |
| Tuesday 28th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| 19:00 | ADO Den Haag vs PSV |
| 19:00 | FC Volendam vs Willem II |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 5th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| FC Groningen 3 - 0 ADO Den Haag | |
| FC Volendam 2 - 4 NAC | |
| FC Utrecht 3 - 0 FC Twente | |
| Feyenoord 0 - 2 NEC | |
| Heerenveen 5 - 2 Ajax | |
| Saturday 4th October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| Vitesse 2 - 2 Willem II | |
| PSV 3 - 0 De Graafschap | |
| Heracles 2 - 0 Roda JC | |
| Friday 3rd October | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| AZ 6 - 0 Sparta | |
| Sunday 28th September | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| ADO Den Haag 0 - 0 FC Utrecht | |
| FC Groningen 3 - 1 Feyenoord | |
| Sparta 2 - 2 Roda JC | |
| NEC 1 - 1 Heracles | |
| Ajax 3 - 0 Vitesse | |
| Saturday 27th September | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| NAC 4 - 2 Heerenveen | |
| PSV 1 - 0 FC Volendam | |
| Willem II 2 - 5 AZ | |
| FC Twente 3 - 0 De Graafschap | |
| Sunday 21st September | |
| Dutch Eredivisie | |
| Feyenoord 2 - 2 Ajax | |
| De Graafschap 2 - 0 ADO Den Haag | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Groningen | 5 | 13 |
| 2 | PSV Eindhoven | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | NAC Breda | 5 | 12 |
| 4 | Heerenveen | 5 | 10 |
| 5 | AZ Alkmaar | 5 | 9 |
| 6 | Heracles Almelo | 5 | 9 |
Barcelona were the weekend's biggest winners, while Lyon slipped to a rare defeat in Ligue 1.
Ronaldinho was the star of the show in the Milan derby, while David Villa fired Valencia top in Spain.
Barcelona recorded their first Primera Liga win of the season, while Inter Milan moved top in Italy.
Midfielder Laurent Delorge is expected to leave Ajax during the winter break.
FC Twente boss Steve McClaren is relishing the prospect of facing Manchester City in the Uefa Cup group stages.
Barcelona were the weekend's biggest winners, while Lyon slipped to a rare defeat in Ligue 1.
The KNVB (Dutch FA) have confirmed Edwin van der Sar has been persuaded out of international retirement.
Groningen have moved top of the Eredivise table following a 3-0 success over ADO Den Haag.