Transfer thread for 2016-17 season

The temptation with players is to judge them by their performances when at their best. But consistency is key for a team at the top end of the league. Wanyama isn't consistent.

 

He's up against a pair of really top performers in Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele. There's not many PL players who could displace one of them. Not at City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool of last season. Kante definitely could but there aren't many like him anywhere in the world and he'll want a wage to match Kane if he leaves Leicester. We can't pay everyone that amount.

He's up against it but obviously he believes in himself and Mauricio Pochettino does likewise. I remember comments that he wouldn't hack it when he joined Southampton. Well, he did that pretty well and he's raised his game wherever he's gone. We need a steady option who can cover for Mousa's suspension for the first 4 games and throughout the rest of the season for Mousa and Eric as well. He's still young, was very keen to join Spurs and at around £12m a definite bargain. Good start to the summer's business given our needs and resources as we build the new stadium.

 

I hope you’re right about Wanyama. The best way I can spin it is to say he’s much better than nobody. But I think I would have spent a bit more and tried to get someone younger who’s more of a long-term Dembélé replacement. A big plus is that Wanyama would let us give Alderweireld a break by playing Dier at right-sided CB.

 

Have we signed him?

 

He's pretty much verbally confirmed, from what I've seen

 

There are some reports of him talking to the Kenyan media about leaving, featuring this quote:
“It’s always a tough moment leaving a club that you are so much used to their tradition and fans but again it’s always the dream of any footballer to play at the very top level like Champions league ”
“I will definitely miss the awesome Southampton fans who always showed me love and I know they will fully understand my decision "

Still all media speculation though, so far. Nothing official.
Looks quite likely to happen, but nothing's done yet.

 

Thanks PNP I hope to be proved wrong in my view of him. So far Pochettino has been very impressive with his signings.

 

Wanyama: "A move to Tottenham Hotspur will give me a chance to play in the Champions League."
"I want to thank Southampton for the great opportunity they gave me to play in England but as footballers we have ambition."

Apparently these are his words after the Kenya game, reported by "supersport".

My only concern, like many others have said, is his discipline on the pitch. But £11mill is well worth a punt.

 

If he thinks Saints fans will "fully understand" his decision to join us, then he must be very naive !!!

 

Yep. We'll get the blame, wherever he goes!...

 

I hope we send Southampton a Xmas Card as we have taken advantage of them quite a bit in recent years

 

I’d rather we get a Dembélé replacement, but maybe, maybe Dier is the Dembélé replacement. He’s looked good at CB, RB and DB. Maybe he’s working his way around the park.

 

Deep down, I still harbour hopes that Bentaleb will flourish into the long-term replacement for Dembele as the latter gets a bit older and injuries start racking up. He certainly has the skill set and physical attributes to make that role his - he just had a really poor start to the season and then, like Mason, got injured at precisely the wrong time. The advantage of signing Wanyama (IF it does happen, part of me is still expecting him to be paraded around Stamford Bridge tomorrow afternoon in a Chelsea shirt next to a smiling Willian) is that he is easily good enough to fill in for Dier long-term if necessary (i.e. if the unthinkable happens and we are without two CB's for an extended run, him being in the squad means that Dier can move back next to Kev and the midfield won't suffer as a result). To my mind, this was one of our biggest problems last season - whenever one of Dier or Mousa was out, we were simply over-run through the middle. Poch's system clearly requires two tanks propping it up in the center of the park - I'm not sure why but what I am sure of is that Mason and Carroll will never have enough physical presence to make it work, which is why I think they'll be the two to go.

 

Cue a bunch of Southampton fans harrumphing about how he could've gone back to Celtic to play in the Champions League...

 

According to reports in France we have offered a contract to Wilfred Kanga, a PSG youth academy player. This is all I could find of him...

 

Indeed.
Sitting at home waiting for the draw today for the summer CL pre-group qualifiers.
A chance to be managed by the mighty Brenton.

How could the guy resist the lure of that ??

 

Sky are claiming that Wanyama's all done barring the medical, which is being done today. No real news, then.

 

Not really. No bad feeling on this one (from me at least, and I suspect that's true of most right-minded fans) We knew he'd be off this summer, and he stayed another year after kicking up a bit of a fuss last year when we didn't let him go.

Not sure on that - Wanyama is young. He's only just turned 24. When he's good, he's very, very good, and can put other players in his pocket. His physicality is extraordinary. On the downside, he can sometimes struggle with the absolute basics - the five yard pass and the first touch. Nearly impossible to knock off the ball though. He does sometimes lose his discipline too - never nasty, but just......well.....bless him, he's not the brightest. £11m in the current market is a very, very good deal for you though.

Will do a job for you, no doubt, and good luck to him/you. (We've moved on to Everton for clubs we don't like now. You're all good!)

 

"We've added Everton to clubs we don't like now. You're safer"

is the reality methinks.

 

Hahaha, yeah, you may well be right! I think you're moving down the list somewhat though.