Ajax turn down Tottenham Hotspur request for Emanuelson

BRUSSELS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Dutch first division leaders Ajaxhave turned down request from Tottenham Hotspur of England for talks on possible transfer of defender Urby Emanuelson of the Amsterdam club.

Ajax announced on Thursday that it had informed the London club not to be prepared to discuss the issue.

"Emanuelson is a mainstay for Ajax. We do not have that many defenders, so we don't want to sell a player like Emanuelson in the winter break," said Ajax technical director Martin van Geel.

Emanuelson, born on June 16, 1986 in Amsterdam, is a product of Ajax's youth system. He joined Ajax's first team squad in the 2004-2005 season, and since then has become a first team regular.

The Dutch international was a member of the Dutch squad that won the UEFA U-21 Championship in 2006, and made his debut for the Dutch national team in August 2006 in a friendly against Ireland.