With reports surfacing that Tottenham Hotspur outcast Victory Wanyama is open to moving back to Celtic Park, supporters of the Scottish Premiership club have been voicing their hopes in seeing Neil Lennon’s Hoops strike a deal.
Football Insider claimed on Thursday that Wanyama has reconsidered his future at Tottenham as he has started just one game so far this season, and is keen to reunite with Lennon at Celtic after the Scottish club showed an interest in making a transfer this summer.
Wanyama was heavily linked with a move to join Belgian Jupiler Pro League side Club Brugge this summer, too, with reports (Standard) that Spurs agreed a £13million deal for the Kenyan after he rapidly fell down Mauricio Pochettino’s pecking order following a series of major knee injuries.
The midfielder rejected Club Brugge’s advances as he had concerns over the suitability of the transfer for his career, but has seen his future remain unclear with the 28-year-old said to be one of five Spurs players transfer-listed ahead of the January window (The Times).
Celtic would only be expected to afford a loan deal for the 52-cap international who spent two years in Scotland before joining Southampton, given Wanyama earns £65,000-a-week in North London.
Many Hoops supporters would love to see the Nairobi-born anchor back in Scotland, though, and one has suggested his club should look to sell 23-year-old French midfielder Olivier Ntcham in order to fund a permanent deal for Wanyama.
Another has called for Lennon and co. to ‘get it done’, ands a third tipped Wanyama as a ‘good’ replacement for 34-year-old Scott Brown.
Here are some of the messages shared:
Sell ntcham with the big man in on a permanent deal
— Ryan Holroyd (@RyanHolroyd1) October 10, 2019
What a signing that wld be be
— dee (@decistew) October 10, 2019
Get it done
— gavinflanagan14 (@gavinflanagan1) October 10, 2019
A good replacement for Scott Brown……..?
— Jim W (@fieldgunner12) October 10, 2019
W
— Dylan (@lcfcDy1an) October 10, 2019
Bring um hame
— Ryan Cruickshanks (@Ryan4of) October 10, 2019
But while lots of Celtic supporters would be glad to see Wanyama back at the club he represented in 91 fixtures across all competitions and helped to lift two Scottish Premiership titles and a Scottish Cup (TransferMarkt), there are many fans who feel the midfielder’s torrid injury record shows exactly why the Hoops cannot consider making a deal.
Wanyama formed a commanding partnership with Moussa Dembele at White Hart Lane following his arrival from Southampton for £11m in 2016 (BBC), but his first of what proved to be many serious knee injuries restricted him to just eight Premier League starts in the ’17/18 campaign.
The subsequent season saw his minutes dwindle further, as the Kenya captain dipped in and out of the Tottenham side for just 509 minutes in the English top-flight and just four starts.
Pochettino has now only called on Wanyama from the bench for 24 minutes in the Premier League this term, while awarding the midfielder his only start thus far in a Carabao Cup encounter with League Two Colchester United which they would lose on penalties.
Turn him over…he’s done…
— Robert Emmet (@Multimodalitie1) October 10, 2019
Hasn’t kicked a ball in anger for ages.
— mick rooney (@mickr48) October 10, 2019
Nah! He had his opportunity.
I wish him the best though.— H C Holden Caulflield (@HughFClark) October 11, 2019
Djemba djemba > wanyama
— Fizan Hamid (@i_countsixshots) October 10, 2019
It’ll never happen, wages to high
— Dermot (@Dermot56) October 10, 2019
Among those in the Celtic faithful reluctant to see their club strive to make a deal with Tottenham for Wanyama, there are some who seemingly cannot believe the Hoops are again being linked with the midfielder.
Combining aspects such as his recent injury history, his lucrative £65,000-a-week contract and a potential transfer fee in excess of £10m, one noted ‘are we back here again?’
Another suggested the Hoops are well stocked for players in the engine room, where Lennon has Nir Britton, Eboue Kouassi, Luca Connell, Ntcham and Brown at his disposal (TransferMarkt).
Are we back here again? ?????
— Stephen (@Stevyspear) October 10, 2019
Injury prone the last few years. Good player but would be expensive and in a position we’re well covered.
— Paddy McPhie (@paddy_mcphie) October 10, 2019