A former fan favourite at Celtic, Victor Wanyama has broken his silence on his departure from Tottenham Hotspur, and how his up-and-down journey at the club affected him.
According to the Daily Record, former Celtic midfielder has shared his thoughts on his recent time in England with Tottenham Hotspur after signing from Southampton in 2016. The 29-year-old midfielder was the first Kenyan player to ever play in the SPFL when he joined Celtic in 2011, choosing kit number 67 in honour of his new side’s historic 1967 European Cup triumph.
In his two years under Neil Lennon, who was in his first managerial stint at the club, Wanyama had 13 goals and 7 assists in 91 appearances for the Hoops, being an integral early part of their run of nine-straight league titles. He then departed for Southampton in 2013, where he would spend three seasons before moving to Tottenham Hotspur for £11 million in 2016.
Unfortunately for Wanyama, he would not see quite the same success at Tottenham as he did in Glasgow and on the English South Coast, seeing his productivity and appearances drop immensely over his last few seasons at the club. With just 4 appearances and no goals for Spurs last campaign, he moved to Major League Soccer’s CF Montreal in March of 2020 after rumours of a potential return to Glasgow last summer failed to materialise.
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The former Celtic fan favourite did not have great end to his Tottenham Hotspur career
Speaking with the Radull Live Show, Wanyama broke his silence on life under Jose Mourinho as reported by the Daily Record:
"“Life was tough under Mourinho. I was not playing. I was injured for some time and when I came back I could not get a chance. I talked to the coach and told him I needed to play. He said ‘you have to wait, you are just coming back from injury’.“Clubs came in for me and asked to take me on loan with an obligation to buy after some time but Tottenham said no. I walked to the chairman’s (Daniel Levy) office and told him to understand my situation. I had been at the club for four years and we had celebrated milestones including the Champions League final. He granted me my wish. When Thierry Henry called me and asked me to join him at Montreal, I couldn’t say no.”"
Completely understandable actions for a player who had displayed so much potential early in his career and now seems to be returning to some of that form in the MLS. In the 2020 season there, Wanyama has made 23 appearances with 2 goals and an assist to his name.
Despite his move to Montreal in March, a return to Celtic could always be in the cards for Wanyama, and many Hoops fans would certainly welcome him back with open arms.