Wanyama on Tottenham exit: “Told me that my chance would come blah, blah, blah”

Among the first people that knew about former Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama’s transfer to Montreal Impact might have been a steward – he was “a Southampton fan” and welcomed the Kenyan on board of a flight from London to Canada. If the Premier League player would join Montreal Impact, the steward asked, but Wanyama was not ready to reply. He had not signed the contract yet and only completed his departure from Spurs, whom he joined for €14.4 million from Southampton in 2016, afterwards. At Tottenham, he was tired of being stalled, as he told The Athletic.

When Wanyama returned from a long-term knee injury, he was “fit and training well”, but former manager Mauricio Pochettino did not trust the defensive midfielder to play a significant role. “I never argued with Pochettino but I wanted to speak to him,” Wanyama, who did not make the squad at Spurs since the seventh match day this season, remembered.

“I went to his office but he was busy. I saw his assistant Jesús Pérez. He told me to be patient, that my chance would come blah, blah, blah. I didn’t go to see them again. That’s why I left the club,” Wanyama continued, but added: “I love Spurs, but I love playing football more.” After 97 appearances for the Londoners, he joined Montreal Impact in March 2020.

Wanyama on Montreal: Thierry Henry “gave me gloves and a hat”

“On my first day I couldn’t believe how cold it was. (…) The coach (Thierry Henry) gave me gloves and a hat. It was still cold, so I put on a second pair of gloves and a coat. Then I didn’t stop running because it was too cold when I stopped. The coach liked that,” Wanyama remembered his start at the MLS club.

Wanyama in 11th The most valuable MLS players Click here for the ranking At Montreal, he is supposed to be one of the most important players of the team, which also shows in his status as a designated player – one of three players at the club that are considered outside their salary cap, either by offering the player higher wages or paying a fee for him.

In London, Wanyama did not feel this important anymore. From Belgium, Club Brugge wanted to sign him in January and could have tempted Wanyama with Champions League football. “Spurs wanted too much money,” he explained, however. In the end, the Kenyan left Spurs under new manager José Mourinho – a few weeks later than initially planned.