Zokora leaves Spurs for Sevilla

Sevilla have signed Tottenham's Ivory Coast midfielder Didier Zokora for an undisclosed fee.

The move had stalled after Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido insisted they would not meet the valuation, but agreement was reached on Wednesday.

Boss Harry Redknapp has been hoping to recoup at least the £8.2m they paid French club St Etienne for Zokora's services after the 2006 World Cup.

Zokora, 28, made 134 appearances for Spurs and has signed a four-year deal.

The deal includes a 30m Euro release clause, and Zokora will be presented next Wednesday.

Sporting director Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo has revealed Zokora's desire to join them was crucial in sealing the deal.

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" Going to miss his hard work rate. One thing you can't fault about Zokora is that he always tries and always has a smile on his face. "

"Every Sevillista should be happy," he told the club website. "We have to thank the president and the board for the effort they made in this signing. Zokora was our main objective for this season.

"We managed to close the deal not without significant effort. We hope it will prove worth the pain. We think the player deserves it.

"As soon as he knew about Sevilla's interest, he only gave signs of dedication and gratitude. This is important in these cases because it gives you leeway in the negotiation.

"We are all really happy today. He's a player who works a lot, who runs a lot, physically he's a wonder who covers a lot of the pitch, he's very versatile. He is what we needed to complete the excellent midfield that we already have."

The signing of Wilson Palacios from Wigan in January saw Zokora largely displaced from Redknapp's starting line-up and he has completed 90 minutes in the league just three times since the Honduran's arrival.

A stint at right-back proved unsuccessful and a particularly gruelling encounter against Aston Villa's left winger Ashley Young saw the former St Etienne player substituted just 35 minutes into his side's 2-1 win.

Sevilla and Tottenham clashed over the way the White Hart Lane side recruited former manager Juande Ramos in October 2007 and the dispute was only concluded when the two clubs reached an out-of-court settlement on Monday.

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