Gallas played in France's poor World Cup campaign [GALLO/GETTY]

France defender William Gallas will become the first player to appear in the league for London rivals Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur following his move across north London from the Gunners.

Spurs confirmed on their website on Sunday that he had signed a one-year deal.

The former Arsenal captain, 33 last Tuesday, became only the 14th player to move from Arsenal to Spurs in almost a century and will earn a unique place in the record books as the first to appear in competitive action for London's three biggest clubs.

Gallas, released by Arsenal at the end of last season, may not initially receive the warmest of welcomes at White Hart Lane.

Many Spurs fans loathe anything connected with their arch-rivals and still regularly curse their former skipper Sol Campbell nine years after he left for Arsenal.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp was not worried about the reaction of the fans and insisted Gallas's decision to join Spurs said much about the player's character.

"He will come here with a point to prove," he said.

"If he had wanted an easy life he would have taken some big money in Greece or somewhere."

Moves between the clubs are rare and Gallas is only the fourth player to join Spurs having been at Arsenal in the last decade after Rohan Ricketts, Jamie O'Hara and David Bentley.

Ivorians choose Zahoui

Meanwhile Cote d'Ivoire have named Francois Zahoui as Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor as coach two weeks before they begin their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

Zahoui has signed a two-year contract, Ivorian Football Federation general secretary Hego Ouattara said in a statement.

The former Ivorian international was caretaker coach for the 1-0 win over former world champions Italy in London earlier this month.

The Ivorian federation decided to give Zahoui the job, with its president Jacques Anouma saying that there was nothing standing in the way of a competent local taking the post.

Earlier this month, they offered the post to French coach Gerard Gili, who looked poised to accept after travelling to Abidjan but then turned it down.

Zahoui, 48, has limited coaching experience. He has coached the Ivorians' under-20 national side and was briefly at Abidjan club Africa Sports, as well as Toulon in France.

He played as a teenager for Ascoli in Italy's Serie A in 1981 but he made just 11 appearances before moving on to Nancy in France.