Premier League team Tottenham Hotspurs have confirmed the signing of Victor Wanyama from Southampton.
Spurs say they are happy that the player agreed to join them ahead of the coming season, but did not disclose the transfer fee. The former Celtic man is believed to have agreed a five year deal with the club, tying him till 2021.
There were earlier reports that both clubs were meeting, then that the player flew in from his home country Kenya for medicals and contract signing but the club has now officially unveiled him as one of their players in the coming season.
Wanyama, who turns 25, will re-unite with Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs. Pochettino was the one who signed him in 2013 to Southampton when he was the boss. Wanyama is renowned for his tough tackles and has played 94 matches for the club. He made a post to the Southampton fans on his official website (www.victorwanyama.co.uk) which reads:
“I write to you with a heavy heart to announce that I will be leaving Southampton Football Club. As you can imagine it is very emotional for me to say goodbye to the club that gave me the chance to be the first Kenyan to play in [the] Premier League.”
As he leaves St Mary’s, he would pair up with Erik Lamela in the midfield in the coming season. With other stars like Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele, Christian Eriksen the midfield is one that will be more competitive but the club will also need all the help as they would be playing in the UEFA Champions League after finishing in third place in the last campaign. Wanyama was very emotional in his posts to the fans. He promised to respect them even as he leaves the club to start another phase in his career.