France coach Jacques Santini will take over as head coach of English premier league Tottenham Hotspur after Euro 2004, the club announced on Thursday.

"I am delighted that Jacques is joining the club," Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said at the end of a long search for a new boss.

"He was the outstanding candidate because of his experience, coaching ability and track record at all levels.

"As I have said on previous occasions we were always going to make an appointment at the end of the European season as it was our aim to appoint a top European coach.

"The supporters have been very patient and for that I thank them. We can look forward to the start of next season with renewed optimism."

Santini, 52, said he was delighted to get the opportunity to join Tottenham.

"I am an ambitious man and it has always been a dream of mine to coach a big English club in the most exciting league in the world," he said.

"I am determined to help the club return to its place among the elite and look forward to joining after Euro 2004.

"Of course, this will not change anything to my determination to go very far with France at Euro 2004."

Santini was appointed France's national coach in July 2002 after the defending champions made a shock first round exit from the World Cup in Japan and South Korea. France have lost only one of their 23 subsequent matches since then.

They open their European title defence in Portugal against England on June 13 -- and the timing of his announcement to quit, coming just over a week before the tournament starts, is something of a surprise.

POOR START

Tottenham were without a manager since sacking Glenn Hoddle after a poor start to the season last September. They rarely played well under caretaker coach David Pleat throughout the campaign, flirting with relegation for a while before finishing 14th in the 20-team premier league.

Hardly a week of the season went by without Spurs being linked with one man or another for the job and this week alone both Claudio Ranieri, the former boss of Chelsea, and Carlos Queiroz, sacked last week by Real Madrid, were widely reported to be taking over at White Hart Lane.

Santini joins a club under-going something of a much-needed transformation on and off the pitch. Last month Frank Arnesen of PSV Eindhoven joined as technical director while the club also released a number of players in their 30s.

Santini's appointment means that both Spurs and Arsenal -- traditionally the two biggest London clubs -- have French managers with Arsene Wenger well-established and successful at Highbury, just taking the league title back there for the third time since his arrival in 1996.

Chelsea, who have usurped Spurs' old position among the elite, appointed their new coach Jose Mourinho on Wednesday, a week after he led Porto to success in the European Cup final.

If France wins Euro 2004, London will suddenly be home to both the winning European club and country coaches.

Prior to his appointment as France's national manager, Santini led Lyon to their first championship in 2002. They also won the French Super Cup in the same season after winning the French League Cup in the previous season.

He was a midfielder in the St Etienne side of the 1970s who won four league titles and two French Cups and was also in the team beaten by Bayern Munich in the 1976 European Cup final.

(Additional reporting by Julien Pretot)