SPURS AGREE WANYAMA FEE: Stars captain set to be unveiled as Tottenham player
Football
By
Gilbert Wandera
| Jun 22, 2016
The stage has been set for Kenyan captain Victor Wanyama to move to Tottenham Hotspur after the London club reportedly agreed on a fee estimated to be around £11m (Sh1.6 billion) with Southampton.
According to BBC, Wanyama, who is already in London, was expected to undergo a medical at White Hart Lane before signing a four-year deal with Spurs.
Wanyama's move will re-unite him with his former Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The Kenyan midfielder has been unsettled at St Mary's since making a record Sh1.8billion move from Celtic in England to Southampton in 2013.
Last year, there was interest from a number of clubs with Spurs' North London rivals Arsenal said to be among those chasing the signature of the Kenyan international. He had demanded a move from St Mary's last year, but it was not granted and he had to stay and helped Southampton finish in sixth place in the just ended season.
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During his time at Southampton, he scored four goals in 85 league matches for the club.
Wanyama started his professional career in Belgium before moving to Scotland where turned up for Celtic and also had an opportunity to play in the Uefa Champions League for the first time and even managed to score a goal against Barcelona in the group stages of the competition.
It was while at Celtic that he began to attract the interest of top English clubs. By signing for Tottenham, Wanyama gets another opportunity to once again play in the Champions League.
Harambee Stars assistant coach Musa Otieno has tipped Wanyama to shine at his new club.
Otieno said the move to White Hart Lane was a positive one and is likely to inspire young players in the country to follow in his footsteps.
"It is a big plus for him and for Kenyan football as well. The fact that his former coach sounded him out is proof that he will succeed in his new club. It shows that he is valuable and has been working hard to succeed," he said.
Otieno added: "I believe that Wanyama will be able to continue performing at his best even at Tottenham. There is always pressure playing in a foreign country and it starts in training because you have to prove that you are better than the local players. He has done it before and I believe he will do it again."
Otieno at the same time said the move is very positive for Kenyan football. "As a country he continues fly our flag high and it shows that we have talent that can play at the very top. He is an important player for Harambee Stars and the latest move can only make him better."