Tottenham Hotspur confirm sale of Jermain Defoe to Toronto FC

Toronto FC fans will not have to wait until Monday for the Jermain Defoe transfer to be made official.  Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the transfer on their website on Friday morning as Defoe will make the move to MLS effective February 28th.

We have reached agreement with Toronto FC for the transfer of Jermain Defoe to the MLS side, with effect from February 28, 2014.

That means the English forward will arrive two weeks prior to Toronto FC's first game of the season and should be available to the club from the start of the MLS campaign.  The deal also includes a friendly between the two clubs which will take place on July 23rd as part of Spurs preseason tour that already includes matches against the Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders.

"Everybody knows how much this Club means to me and I will play my heart out for the team and the fans until my last kick for the Club. I have had a fantastic time here and the fans have always been amazing to me," said Jermain.

"I am grateful for the opportunity for myself and my family to experience living overseas and for me to play in the MLS with a contract that will take me to the age of 35. I have no doubt I shall be coming back as a fan supporting the team in the years to come too.

Toronto FC fans will not have to wait long to get their first glimpse of their new start player as Defoe is expected to arrive in the city over the weekend and officially be unveiled on Monday afternoon.  The forward will then be loaned back to Spurs to ensure that he has the best chance of playing competitive minutes in the months leading up to the start of the MLS season.

The third element of the deal between the two clubs is an advertising rights agreement.  This deal will essentially allow Spurs to further their presence in Canada with the help of MLSE who will now be in a position to stock Spurs gear and provide other advertising.

The transfer of Jermain to Toronto FC also sees the start of an Advertising Rights Agreement with club owners Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. which includes promotional, branding, experiential activities, advertising, broadcasting, social media and digital rights across the 4-year agreement and at all MLSE properties and media sites. MLSE will stock, promote and sell official THFC merchandise at all their retail outlets and support the THFC Official Canadian Supporter's Club.

The deal makes no mention of what kind of fee that TFC are paying to complete the move but it is clear that they worked hard with Spurs to ensure this was a deal that they could not refuse.  By adding the other elements that are not common in your basic transfer they surely sweetened the deal enough beyond just the initial payment to ensure that it made sense for both sides.

With AS Roma confirming the sale of Michael Bradley to MLS on Thursday evening it now looks like Toronto FC are set to announce the two biggest signings in the club's history on Monday afternoon.  It should be a day to remember for fans.