Rafael Van Der Vaart Joins HSV -- Bild

Well, the writing was on the wall. Erratic but clearly gifted Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has apparently left Tottenham Hotspur for the Bundesliga and Hamburg:

Hamburg have signed Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart on a three-year deal, according to "Bild". Fee of about €13m. #HSV #THFC

— dan_bu (@dan_bu) August 31, 2012

Van der Vaart, 29, joined Tottenham from Real Madrid in 2010, featuring 78 times in all competitions and notching an impressive return of 28 goals, but despite his brilliant attacking play his defensive contribution was lackadaisical at best and his lack of fitness left former manager Harry Redknapp scratching his head a few times.

With Iceland midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson in from Hoffenheim and the signing of Moussa Dembele from Tottenham Hotspur, Spurs have the depth at midfield to let van der Vaart leave. Hamburg, where he made his name, is a great destination. They need quality and he's a known quantity in the Bundesliga. Whether or not he's a particularly efficient use of €13 million is another story entirely.