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England striker Defoe completes Pompey switch
LONDON (AFP) - Portsmouth signed England striker Jermain Defoe from Premiership rivals Tottenham with just minutes to spare before the January transfer window closed on Thursday.
The 25-year-old will be reunited with Pompey boss Harry Redknapp under whom he played at West Ham before the striker left for White Hart Lane in a seven million pound deal in 2004.
"I can't wait to get my boots on and get out there. I want to score as many goals as possible for Portsmouth," said Defoe who had been a bit-part player at Tottenham behind Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane.
His lack of regular first team football also meant he didn't feature in the 30-man squad announced by new England coach Fabio Capello for next week's international friendly against Switzerland at Wembley.
As Defoe was leaving White Hart Lane, Brazilian international defender Gilberto was on his way in after moving from Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.
The left-back spent three and a half years in Germany where he made 101 appearances for Hertha after joining from Sao Caetano in Brazil.
Middlesbrough also left it late before they clinched a club record signing of Brazilian striker Afonso Alves from Dutch side Heerenveen.
The 27-year-old Alves, who scored 45 goals in 38 games in Holland, is believed to have cost 12 million pounds.
"I'm delighted to have completed the deal," said Boro manager Gareth Southgate.
"As usual at this time of the year, it was a late night - but Afonso brings us something different in that he is a goalscorer who does much of his best work inside the box."
Meanwhile, Liverpool insisted they had yet to clinch a permanent deal for Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano.
Some reports suggested the Reds had agreed to play 18.6 million pounds for Mascherano, who has been on loan at Anfield for a year.
But a statement on Liverpool's official website said: "Contrary to reports elsewhere, the deal to complete Javier Mascherano's permanent move to Liverpool has yet to be finalised."
Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was also close to signing Ecuador striker Felipe Caicedo, 19, from Swiss side Basle with midfielder Ousmane Dabo leaving City for Italian club Lazio.
Coming to Eastlands was Filippo Mancini, the 17-year-old son of Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini.
Also heading to Lazio was Newcastle defender David Rozenhal, in a loan move for the rest of the season.
Sunderland signed Republic of Ireland midfielder Andy Reid from Charlton in a deal that could cost four million pounds with defender Greg Halford making the opposite journey, on a loan deal, to the London-based Championship club.
Bolton, like Sunderland just outside the relegation zone, brought in Poland striker Grzegorz Rasiak on loan from Southampton while allowing midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson to be loaned to Spanish club Deportivo Lo Coruna.
Roy Hodgson, manager of second-bottom Fulham, used the contacts gained from his previous job in charge of Finland to bring international duo Jari Litmanen and Toni Kallio to Craven Cottage.
Basement club Derby, who've conceded 51 league goals so far this season, looked to strengthen their back four by signing Everton veteran Alan Stubbs.
The Rams earlier brought in Rangers reserve goalkeeper Roy Carroll, who had a spell with Manchester United, a move that paved the way for Stephen Bywater's departure to Ipswich on loan.
Elsewhere, teenage Italian striker Fabuo Zamblera became the first signing of Kevin Keegan's second spell as Newcastle United manager, the 17-year-old joining from Atalanta.
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