Tottenham have a piece of my heart, says Spurs's new £15m No 5 Bentley

The England winger completed his move from Blackburn, worth an initial £15million, late last night and has agreed a six-year contract.  

He said: 'It means the world to join Tottenham.  

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New recruit: Spurs boss Juande Ramos (right) welcomes David Bentley to White Hart Lane

'Gazza was my favourite player, all my mates are Tottenham fans and there's a piece of my heart at this club.  

'I didn't think they would be interested in me and when it became available there was nowhere else I wanted to go.'  

Asked about the fact he began his professional career with Spurs' north London rivals Arsenal, Bentley said: 'That's in the past, I grew up through the Arsenal youth team but it's not a problem for me, all my heart is at Tottenham and all my passion will be tunnelled into doing well for Tottenham.'  

He immediately targeted a challenge for Champions League qualification, which would require big-spending Spurs breaking up the dominance of the division's 'big four'.  

Man in black: Tottenham Hotspur's new signing David Bentley

'We can do anything we want, anything we put our minds to. You've seen what Juande Ramos did last year; the fitness and level of play has risen and I want to be part of that, hopefully we'll keep progressing and doing well.  

'It's all there for us - if we're all up for it it's quite possible.'

Bentley added: 'I'm excited by it. There are a lot of good players here, you look at (Luka) Modric, Giovani dos Santos and I'm looking forward to fitting in the side somewhere.

'Making the move here was an easy decision to make to be honest. I've been trying my hardest to come here and be part of this. All my friends are season ticket holders. All I want to do is just get out there."

Spurs boss Juande Ramos added: "I'm sure he will bring the best ability to our team and we can help him maximise his potential.

'We are in a state of preparation now, it's pre-season, we are trying to share out the players on the field. We'll assess him fitness-wise and try and get him into the team as soon as possible.'

Bentley has no doubts about the former Sevilla boss' prowess, adding: 'Working under someone like Ramos is great. He's going to get the best out of me.

'I've got a lot of respect for him for what he's achieved. I've talked a lot to the other players about him and I'm sure he'll push me on to the next level. He's really good.

'I've been training and spent seven to 10 days on my own doing a lot of running knowing hopefully that the deal will go through. It's been very emotional.

'I aim to be as successful as I can. I'm going to give as much as I can. I've come here with a big price tag and I have to repay Tottenham with all my heart.'