Spurs came close to Moutinho

Andre Villas-Boas has admitted after missing out on Joao Moutinho that he always thought it would be difficult to finalise a deal for the midfielder.

Villas-Boas says deal for midfielder was difficult

Andre Villas-Boas has admitted after missing out on Joao Moutinho that he always thought it would be difficult to finalise a deal for the midfielder. Tottenham had been chasing the Portugal international for much of the summer and it looked like a deadline day signing would go through after a £22million fee was finally agreed with Porto. However, there was a problem in settling personal terms and, even though talks resumed late on Friday, the transfer could not be completed on time. Spurs did manage to bring in Clint Dempsey and Hugo Lloris before the summer window slammed shut, while Mousa Dembele arrived earlier in the week and scored on his debut against Norwich at White Hart Lane. Speaking after Saturday's 1-1 draw, Villas-Boas insisted he was happy with his squad and played down the failure to land Moutinho. "The deal was almost done but there were problems with the contract. It was always a difficult deal to complete and we were ready for it not to happen," Villas-Boas told Sky Sports. "The player terms were agreed a little bit late but I am extremely happy with the amount of players we have."