Tottenham Hotspur boss Andre Villas-Boas has revealed that he stopped Gylfi Sigurdsson moving to Reading because of his high hopes for the player.

The 23-year-old has fallen out of contention in Spurs' starting XI in recent weeks due to the form of Mousa Dembele and Clint Dempsey in midfield.

"Obviously he's a player that means a lot to Reading," Villas-Boas told reporters.

"But he's a player that we rate very highly. We brought him here after his amazing contribution (on loan) for Swansea last year and he's a player that we have high expectations for.

"Probably this season at the moment he is not going to the level that he wants, but he's a player that we believe a lot in, and in his future here. We couldn't allow him to leave."

Tottenham face West Brom on Sunday as they look to keep up their challenge for a Champions League berth next season.