Bremen complete Ismael deal

'Positive signal'
Ismael, who arrived from RC Strasbourg, has become a first-team regular at the Weserstadion and Bremen will now pay Strasbourg €600,000 to secure a permanent deal. "This is a positive signal," said Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf.

Denneboom deal
Dutch side Willem II have signed Romano Denneboom on loan until the end of the season. The 22-year-old striker had fallen out of favour at SC Heerenveen and now joins the Tilburg club to replace Jatto Ceesay, who was sold to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal last week.

Wotte 'excited'
Willem coach Mark Wotte said: "I know him from the Dutch youth team and I am really excited about working with him. He is joining us on loan and we will try to get him back to his old level as quickly as possible."

Vales staying at Athletic
Óscar Vales has signed a new two-year contract with Athletic Club Bilbao following two weeks of negotiations with the Basque club. The new deal includes a €15m buy-out fee and the option of a third season based on the number of appearances Vales makes over the next two campaigns. The central defender's previous contract was due to expire next summer.

Kanouté confirmation
Tottenham Hotspur FC have confirmed that Frederic Kanouté will be absent for two months after suffering an ankle injury in last weekend's win at Leicester City FC. A scan has confirmed bruising on the bone of his left ankle together with some ligament damage.

'Disappointing news'
"It's disappointing news but hopefully the estimate of two months is a maximum," caretaker manager David Pleat told Tottenham's official website.