Tottenham's latest signing, Lewis Holtby, has revealed that Andre Villas-Boas was one of the major factors in him deciding to leave Schalke in order to play in the Premier League.

The 22-year-old signed a pre-contract agreement that means he will move to White Hart Lane in the summer when his current contract with Schalke expires.

Lewis Holtby
Lewis Holtby in action for Schalke [Reuters]

Holtby's decision was seen as a major coup for Tottenham as there had been plenty of interest from English sides such as Arsenal and Everton in a midfielder who has excelled in Champions League competition and has become an important member of the German national team.

ESPN reported that Holtby rejected an approach from Arsenal last summer and it seems as though Villas-Boas was one of the main reasons the midfielder preferred a move to the Gunners' bitter rivals.

"[Tottenham] are not a small club and have an insanely good manager," Holtby told ESPN. "I simply had to take the offer from Tottenham. New things don't scare me, they excite me. In my opinion Tottenham is a big club in Europe.

"Tottenham have belonged to the top five in England since many years and they only missed out on the Champions League because Chelsea won the cup last year.

"Without Tottenham's offer I would have signed at Schalke. I can only repeat that [club chief] Horst Heldt made a very good offer. I believe that I have a good relation to the fans, because I have always been authentic and honest. Now they can decide on their own how to react."

Villas-Boas has impressed since taking charge at Spurs and has led the side to third in the league, just six points behind second placed Manchester City.

The club are also five points clear of Arsenal and will be hoping that they can finish above their north London rivals for the first time since 1995.