Tottenham Transfer Target Wesley Sneijder Signs with Galatasaray

Tottenham may have clawed one back against Manchester United this weekend, but the same couldn't be said of their work off the pitch.

According to BBC Sport, Spurs weren't able to make magic happen again and were forced to see transfer target Wesley Sneijder join Turkish club Galatasaray.

"It will be amazing and the atmosphere will be nice, I can't wait to go there and play my first game," Sneijder told the club's official website. "I will make the Galatasaray fans very proud and very happy. I'm looking forward to meeting them and making a good life together."

It's a serious blow for Tottenham who had the 28-year-old in their sights for a January transfer. The attacking midfielder (and oft-used striker) was frozen out of Inter Milan's lineup for the past two months because he wasn't willing to take a pay cut.

Why should he?

He's still one of the world's best offensive players, was the leading scorer for the Netherlands when they were runners-up at the 2010 World Cup, has a rocket of a shot off either foot and can be a physical force in the midfield despite standing only 5'7" tall.

He would have been a fantastic capture for Spurs who are running bare in the cupboard for strikers, with Clint Dempsey and Jermain Defoe remaining as the club's only senior strikers after Emmanuel Adebayor left for international duty with Togo during the African Cup of Nations.

The only solace is that Liverpool, who were also in the running to sign Sneijder, weren't able to capture him either and use him against Tottenham.