DAN PETRESCU'S Italian agent got a rocket from the Romanian international today after stirring up speculation linking Glenn Hoddle with Spurs.

Petrescu's agent Giovanni Becali was reported to have told Romanian TV that a deal had been done to take Hoddle to White Hart Lane in the summer and that Petrescu would be his first signing.

But Petrescu said: "I have spoken to my agent and what is in the paper is not true.

"The paper has interpreted it how they want. I'm not going to Spurs.

"He tells me he never said anything of the sort but I told him off all the same."

Becali was not involved in the negotiations which brought Petrescu to The Dell, and the former Chelsea star says that his agent has never had contact with Hoddle.

"When I came here, I did all the negotiations myself because I was happy with what they offered me. I told him to stay in Italy as there was nothing to talk about."

That was confirmed by Hoddle, who said: "The chairman said the deal with Dan was the quickest he had ever done."

Meanwhile, the continued speculation linking Hoddle to the Spurs job when new owners ENIC take the reigns, is beginning to bug Hoddle, who said: "Things are being made up out of the blue and I can't stop that.

"I read it in the paper this morning and I laughed at it. There's nothing in it - it's absolute garbage.

"This one particularly annoys me because it's total fabrication.

"The question of whether I am going to Tottenham in the future is not one I need to answer.

"I'm manager of Southampton and all these silly stories are making people ask me such questions."