~ NAYNET TO STAY WITH SPURS ~

[HOUDA-K]

14/06/05

The Atlas Lions captain Noureddine Naybet has agreed to stay with his English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur for a further year.



The Moroccan veteran has taken the decision although the Spurs will be absent from European competitions next season.

The northern London side finished ninth in the Premiership overall standings and missed out on a Uefa Cup spot after the Fair Play draw on June 5.

"I've made up my mind to stay for another season. I am happy in London and do not want to change,” Naybet told reporters.

The 35-year-old central defender was linked with a move to Qatar this summer.

"The option of playing in Qatar has arisen several times but it never came to anything,” he confirmed.

"I still have enough years left in England. All the players believe we are good enough to get into the Uefa Cup next year and we will prove it."

Morocco's close-to-retirement skipper, who has won more than 100 caps, joined the Spurs in August 2004 for almost one million euros after eight successful years with Spanish Primera Liga club Deportivo La Coruña.

With the Galician side, Naybet was crowned champion of Spain in 2000, lifted the King Cup in 2002 and won the Spanish Super Cup in the same year. His last season with the north-western Spanish outfit could have been the icing on the cake as he was looking forward to a UEFA Champions League final, but his side could not go beyond the semis.

Naybet started his football career with Wydad Casablanca. Before joining La Coruña, he had a spell with French first division club FC Nantes and later with Portuguese giants Sporting Club of Lisbon.