According to the Daily Echo Saints have agreed a fee with Tottenham Hotspur for the sale of Victor Wanyama.

Some Saints fans will be disappointed that the agreed fee seems to be around £11 million, this is less than Saints paid for the Kenyan 3 years ago when he arrived from Celtic.

But with there only being a year left on Wanyama's contract Saints had little choice other than to cash in now at a fee far less than he would have been worth with 2 or even 3 years to go on his deal.

But I would firstly contend that the drop in fee has been worthwhile given the fact that Saints finished sixth and once again qualified for the Europa League, I would rather have had this than have sold him for the £20 million he would have fetched had we sold him last August.

With each Premier League place being worth around £1.3 million it could be said that Wanyama was the difference between finishing 8th and 6th so that's £2.5 million of the deficit covered, not to mention the extra revenue for being in the Europa League.

So overall when we look at Wanyama's fee we have to consider the value we got out of him that is not so transparent, sometimes it is not just about money.

Plus there is a case for the fact that Saints could have taken part in a bit of horse trading with Spurs over the deal, if as it seems he goes before the end of the month he will forego a sizeable bonus and this could have formed part of the fee, also we have to pay Celtic 15% presuambly if we received more back than we paid for him, so we could be making a saving on this as well.

One thing is for sure though, we have got our value for money out of the three years he has spent at the club, it is just a shame that the shenanigans of last summer have soured his memory for most Saints supporters.

For as much as some of the key games he played were the difference between where we finished and perhaps 8th, the games he missed through sulking and suspension were the difference between perhaps getting a few more points and perhaps finishing 4th, certainly it would not have been beyond the realms of possibility to overhaul Manchester City, when Wanyama was sent offat Norwich City that cost us dearly in a game we were well in control of and a win there would have put us level.

Wanyama will be missed in the Saints squad, but not as much as he should have been, the fact is that most of the games he was suspended for we coped just as well without him, wins at Swansea and Stoke for instance and we will cope when he has gone.

Photo: Action Images

law101 added 14:49 - Jun 20 Good player but not by any means the quality of some of the players we have sold in recent years. Can be off the pace at times and often a hindrance at home when the ball needs to be moved quickly against teams who get behind the ball. Has been a good player over the 3 years and contributed well particularly to some great away wins.
1

Whatsforpud added 14:55 - Jun 20 But surely we should be suspending all buying and selling of players until the new manager is installed. It is feasible that the new manager could persuade Wanyama to extend his contract if he (the manager) wants him. We shouldn't be buying players (like Redmond) yet, but wait to see how the new manager views things.
1

TeamCortese added 15:23 - Jun 20 Victor was a very good player for us. We all saw this coming so best of luck to him. Hopefully Oriel can step up but I still think we need to find replacements especially now that we're in the Europa League!
3

larry12 added 15:24 - Jun 20 Mein Fuhrer is now in charge and wants to annexe the transfer job permanently. Therefore the next "Coach" definitely will not be the Manager but will just look after the squad and "may" be lucky enough to be told how many Academy players he may iclude in the 1st team squad. I bet there are loads of peolple who would want that job. Why not ask Garcia his oppinion on that setup?

-2

A1079 added 15:30 - Jun 20 Selling a player for less than you paid whilst, arguably he is in the prime of his career is not good business. Spurs have got one over us on this. I also think whatsforpud makes a good point. Why are any players being allowed to leave or sold before installing a new manager? It seems to suggest that a new manager will have little influence on the playing side. Ok, I concede that Wanyama has bleated so long about moving on, I doubt that heaven or earth would have kept him here, but it should still have waited until the new manager was in place.

1

SanMarco added 15:39 - Jun 20 larry12 - what actual facts do you base that on? I agree on incoming players whatsforpud - the new man might not want Redmond etc but there would seem little point in delaying the inevitable with Wanyama. Like many others I think the fee is too low though. If Spuds were that keen surely it could have been nearer 15m?
-1

SuperSpurs added 17:21 - Jun 20 We take who we want. Managers or players, they all want to come to Spurs.
-4

DPeps added 17:53 - Jun 20 Larry12 is right in that this demonstrates that the manager can't have much say over player sales and recruitment, seeing as we are selling and recruiting with no manager! That's how plenty of clubs are run though so maybe it's no surprise. VW has been good, but will need to add more creative ability in order to move on to the next level. Not sure he'll add much to Spurs unless Dier returns to CB role. And hi superspurs - thanks for your horrible finish to the season by the way. It had me laughing for weeks!

2

IanRC added 17:58 - Jun 20 If £11million is the best offer we received then reflects on his quality, should fit right in at Spurs then.
2

SanMarco added 19:27 - Jun 20 Yes SuperSpurs - what was that song you sang about Bale? He came but, unless I am mistaken, he didn't stay long....
1

TeamCortese added 19:30 - Jun 20 People can twist the fee as much as they want..it was a bad piece of business...period! For someone of Wanyama's quality we should have got at least £20M. I don't care about the 1 year left on his contract. He's got champions league experience and is one of the best defensive midfielders in the EPL. I don't rate the board. They are all incompetent. Liebherr needs to sell up to someone who is actually interested in football--Her father would never have done such a deal--and Les Reed needs to go. He has made too many blunders in the transfer market and his handling of managers. I'm still finding it difficult to figure out what he offers the club. Who are we going to sell next....Sadio Mane, VVD, Fraser Forster or even possibly Nick's beloved Shane Long? Why is it taking so long to find a manager? Could it be the current candidates are put off by what happened to Roko and the best we can muster is someone from the Championship? What is going on up there? I've had enough of this nonsense! #LiebherrOut.

-4

SanMarco added 19:51 - Jun 20 Hi Cortese - have you actually thought through the consequences of the Liebherr's selling? And do you really think the odds on those players you list leaving would lengthen after such an event? Perhaps Pinnacle will come in or perhaps the guy that bought BHS? Of course we might get a buyer so rich that after he's found the upfront money he can invest heavily or we may get someone who borrows to raise the cash and then asset-strips. Or of course we may get a guy who looks like a cross between a thin Mussolini and a mafia don. Ah no, because his own money would never be at stake. A few years ago we were 10 pts adrift at the bottom of the third division. I have certainly had enough of the nonsense that put us there! #LiebherrIn.

1

TeamCortese added 20:00 - Jun 20 SanMarco the reality is Katherina Liebherr is not interested in footballing matters. Over the last 2 years we have developed a reputation as a selling club/stepping stone for the so-called bigger clubs. This coincides with the departure of Nicola Cortese and MoPo. There is life beyond the Liebherr's. I am very grateful to Markus Liebherr for what he's done for Soton FC and I will never forget it. But I am not grateful to Katherina Liebherr or Les Reed for that matter. We need people who want to make Soton great and I'm not getting that feeling from those two. They are not ambitious.

-2

zonehead added 20:48 - Jun 20 Its poor business 1m less than we paid and he's 24 and Levi's got his way again with a 1m discount We could have easily held out for 15 mill and that would have been cheap too, and what was the problem about giving RK a 1 year deal whilst we line up a replacement come on les
-1

SanMarco added 21:07 - Jun 20 You feel we are slipping TeamCortese - I thought we'd been moving upwards. It is true that the Liebherrs don't have your 'ambition' - perhaps someone with said 'ambition' will make them an offer they can't refuse. Don't hold your breath though.
0

perazi added 22:29 - Jun 20 Fair enough article Nick. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Vic's time at Saints, he is one of the most unique, powerful DM's I've seen. While it's true we won games last season when he was missing I can also recall games where the opposition carved up our midfield when Koeman had JWP, Davo and Romeu (who I rate) playing the holding roles. Spurs have got themselves a bargain, we need to try and replace him with a quality player not an el-cheapo or a Les Read strategy of an academy product like JWP or Harry Reed as sufficient to cover the loss of Wanyama.

0

BoondockSaint added 01:14 - Jun 21 Maybe he's always dreamed of finishing behind Arsenal every year?
1

Zambucco added 13:52 - Jun 21 If we can quantify his fee by points gained or lost, why don't we keep him? Yes he will be available on a free, but if he's that good, maybe he might help us to the top four and Champions league, how much would that be worth. He may even decide to stay! So what if Katarina Liebherr is not as passionate bout Saints as we are? Apparently she comes to as many games as possible, possibly more than her father. She's a business woman and a very good one at that, which is what we need if we are going to sustain continued growth, we need to be able to finance ourselves. Sure it's not going to be instant success, but our record over the last few years show we are doing something right. Apparently the club do want a system of using a coach rather than a manager who buys the players, I see nothing wrong with that. Having backroom staff who are completely okay with the Southampton Way, who know the squad, who use the black box, to source potential targets. If a manger/coach is any good he'll get the best out of any player. Final word, goodbye The Mighty Kenyan, you have been immense for us, I forgive your sendings off, as the actions of a passionate player, not a petulant one.

2

Blogs 31 bloggers

Southampton Polls