Tottenham Hotspur confirm Lewis Holtby has joined Hamburg on permanent deal

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed midfielder Lewis Holtby has left the club, signing for Bundesliga side Hamburg on a permanent basis.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino allowed Holtby, 24, to leave White Hart Lane last summer, joining the Germans on a season-long loan.

At the time of the move, Bild suggested Hamburg had the option to make the move a permanent one at the end of the season for €6.5m (£4.6m).

Tottenham have confirmed the transfer via a short statement on their official website that read: "The midfielder joined the Bundesliga side on a one-year loan in September 2014, with a view to a permanent transfer.

"This option has now been exercised and Lewis leaves us having made 41 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals, following his arrival from Schalke 04 in 2013.

"We wish Lewis all the best for the future."

Tottenham's announcement brings a disappointment conclusion to Holtby's career in north London. After initially agreeing a pre-contract deal with the German with the view of him joining the club at the end of the 2012-13 season, the club opted to bring the move forward and sign him outright in January 2013 for a fee of £1.5m.

An extensive overhaul of the Tottenham squad later that year left Holtby on the periphery of the first team, however. He joined Fulham on loan for the second half of the 2013-14 season in their doomed attempt to avoid relegation.

Holtby made 22 appearances for Hamburg last season, helping the club narrowly avoid relegation to Germany's second tier.

He becomes the second midfielder to leave White Hart Lane in the space of two days, after Brazil midfielder Paulinho completed his move to Guangzhou Evergrande.

The reigning Chinese Super League champions paid a fee of £9.9m to bring the 26 year old to the Far East, just two years after his arrival in North London.

The move was confirmed via Guangzhou's official website.

Paulinho briefly broke Tottenham's record transfer fee in 2013 when the club paid Corinthians a reported £17m to bring the player to White Hart Lane.