On 31 August 2010, two hours before the transfer window closed, Tottenham Hotspur made an offer of £8 million for Van der Vaart.
According to Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, an £18 million transfer to Bayern Munich had collapsed the day before and Van der Vaart had suddenly become much cheaper, although such a price reduction was later denied by Real Madrid.
Due to problems with computer servers used in the transaction between Tottenham and Real Madrid, preventing the necessary paperwork from being completed, Spurs requested special dispensation from the Premier League to allow the transfer to proceed.
The Premier League confirmed on 1 September that the transfer had been permitted after they gave Tottenham special dispensation due to "technical problems".
He signed a four-year contract at White Hart Lane.
It was announced that Van der Vaart would wear the number 11 shirt for Spurs.
Van der Vaart later denied speculation that he had been a failure at Real Madrid, claiming that he always gave his best over the last few years for both club and country, and that he wanted to show his quality for his new club.

Van der Vaart made his Premier League debut for Spurs in a 1–1 draw against West Bromwich Albion on 11 September 2010, and his Champions League bow for the club three days later against Werder Bremen, providing an assist for Peter Crouch in a 2–2 draw.
Van der Vaart scored his first Premier League goal from the penalty spot in a 3–1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 18 September 2010.
After starting his Spurs career by scoring three goals in four Premier League matches, and with a goal and an assist in two Champions League matches, Van der Vaart was named Goal.com World Player of the Week on 4 October 2010.
He was later named Premier League Player of the Month for October.
A hamstring injury kept Van der Vaart out of action for much of December, but he returned to the Tottenham side on Boxing Day, scoring both goals in a 2–1 away win over Aston Villa.
On 20 April, Van der Vaart revived Tottenham's Champions League ambitions by scoring twice to hold North London rivals Arsenal to a 3–3 draw at White Hart Lane.
From then onwards, Van der Vaart became a fan favourite at White Hart Lane.
After losing to Manchester City and being knocked out of the Champions League race, Spurs traveled to Anfield.
Van der Vaart scored from 25 yards out in a 2–0 win that put Tottenham in position to secure qualification for the Europa League.
He ended the season as Spurs' top scorer in the Premier League, scoring 13 goals – nearly a quarter of Tottenham's total – while also providing the most assists, with nine.

Van der Vaart scored his first two Premier League goals of the following season against Wigan Athletic and Arsenal.

Van der Vaart scored a penalty away against Newcastle United on 16 October to keep up a good run of goal scoring form and also scored twice in the 2–1 win over Blackburn Rovers.
On 30 October, he continued this brilliant run of scoring form with his side's second in a 3–1 win over Queens Park Rangers, making it six goals in five games for the Dutchman and equalling a Tottenham record by scoring in five consecutive Premier League matches, a record he shares with Teddy Sheringham and Robbie Keane.
On 31 December, he scored away to Swansea City, converting a Benoît Assou-Ekotto cross.
Van der Vaart scored a long-range effort against Watford in the FA Cup to send Tottenham through to the next round of the competition with a 1–0 victory.
He was on the pitch at White Hart Lane on 17 March 2012 when Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba went into cardiac arrest; Van der Vaart later described it as "horrible to witness ... the absolute low in my football career".
He scored his tenth goal of the season against Blackburn Rovers on 29 April, and scored again in his next match, a 4–1 win over Bolton.
He also assisted the opening goal for Luka Modrić with a corner.

Despite talk of a summer transfer back to the Bundesliga with Hamburger SV and Schalke 04 touted as possible destinations Van der Vaart reaffirmed his desire to s
On 31 August 2010, two hours before the transfer window closed, Tottenham Hotspur made an offer of £8 million for Van der Vaart. According to Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, an £18 million transfer to Bayern Munich had collapsed the day before and Van der Vaart had suddenly become much cheaper, although such a price reduction was later denied by Real Madrid. Due to problems with computer servers used in the transaction between Tottenham and Real Madrid, preventing the necessary paperwork from being completed, Spurs requested special dispensation from the Premier League to allow the transfer to proceed. The Premier League confirmed on 1 September that the transfer had been permitted after they gave Tottenham special dispensation due to "technical problems". He signed a four-year contract at White Hart Lane. It was announced that Van der Vaart would wear the number 11 shirt for Spurs. Van der Vaart later denied speculation that he had been a failure at Real Madrid, claiming that he always gave his best over the last few years for both club and country, and that he wanted to show his quality for his new club.
Van der Vaart made his Premier League debut for Spurs in a 1–1 draw against West Bromwich Albion on 11 September 2010, and his Champions League bow for the club three days later against Werder Bremen, providing an assist for Peter Crouch in a 2–2 draw. Van der Vaart scored his first Premier League goal from the penalty spot in a 3–1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 18 September 2010. After starting his Spurs career by scoring three goals in four Premier League matches, and with a goal and an assist in two Champions League matches, Van der Vaart was named Goal.com World Player of the Week on 4 October 2010. He was later named Premier League Player of the Month for October. A hamstring injury kept Van der Vaart out of action for much of December, but he returned to the Tottenham side on Boxing Day, scoring both goals in a 2–1 away win over Aston Villa. On 20 April, Van der Vaart revived Tottenham's Champions League ambitions by scoring twice to hold North London rivals Arsenal to a 3–3 draw at White Hart Lane. From then onwards, Van der Vaart became a fan favourite at White Hart Lane. After losing to Manchester City and being knocked out of the Champions League race, Spurs traveled to Anfield. Van der Vaart scored from 25 yards out in a 2–0 win that put Tottenham in position to secure qualification for the Europa League. He ended the season as Spurs' top scorer in the Premier League, scoring 13 goals – nearly a quarter of Tottenham's total – while also providing the most assists, with nine.
Van der Vaart scored his first two Premier League goals of the following season against Wigan Athletic and Arsenal.
Van der Vaart scored a penalty away against Newcastle United on 16 October to keep up a good run of goal scoring form and also scored twice in the 2–1 win over Blackburn Rovers. On 30 October, he continued this brilliant run of scoring form with his side's second in a 3–1 win over Queens Park Rangers, making it six goals in five games for the Dutchman and equalling a Tottenham record by scoring in five consecutive Premier League matches, a record he shares with Teddy Sheringham and Robbie Keane. On 31 December, he scored away to Swansea City, converting a Benoît Assou-Ekotto cross. Van der Vaart scored a long-range effort against Watford in the FA Cup to send Tottenham through to the next round of the competition with a 1–0 victory. He was on the pitch at White Hart Lane on 17 March 2012 when Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba went into cardiac arrest; Van der Vaart later described it as "horrible to witness ... the absolute low in my football career". He scored his tenth goal of the season against Blackburn Rovers on 29 April, and scored again in his next match, a 4–1 win over Bolton. He also assisted the opening goal for Luka Modrić with a corner.
Despite talk of a summer transfer back to the Bundesliga with Hamburger SV and Schalke 04 touted as possible destinations Van der Vaart reaffirmed his desire to s
Rafael van der Vaart