Why West Ham should go all out to sign Victor Wanyama in January

Back in July, the Standard had claimed that West Ham were interested in signing Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama. However, a deal didn’t materialise and the Kenyan has stayed put at Tottenham for now.

Victor Wanyama, 28, who joined Tottenham from Southampton in 2016, lost his place in the starting XI last season after suffering a serious injury. He has been limited to just 46 appearances over the last two seasons combined, with injuries and competition for places forcing him to play a lesser role.

Given Tottenham broke their club transfer record to seal the signing of Tanguy Ndombele last month, the Kenyan international’s chances of regular first-team football have been dealt a severe blow. So a move away from Spurs might be the ideal outcome for both the player and the club.

With two years left on his current deal, West Ham must reignite their interest in Victor Wanyama and attempt to sign him when the transfer window reopens in January.

After a busy transfer window, not a single West Ham fan would have expected to kick-off the new campaign in such an embarrassing fashion. The Hammers were trounced 5-0 by reigning champions Manchester City at the London Stadium, leaving Manuel Pellegrini and his staff absolutely disgusted.

Pellegrini’s men were outrun, outsmarted and outclassed at the weekend by a thrilling Pep Guardiola side, who seemingly didn’t even have to reach the top gear. The defeat exposed a lot of problems Pellegrini needs to address quickly in order to save his job in east London.

The idea of not reinforcing the central midfield options has proven to be very naïve regardless of the Hammers’ problems last season.

Above all, Pellegrini sanctioned Pedro Obiang’s sale without signing a replacement was a baffling decision and one that could come back to haunt West Ham. Thus, it makes every sense to go for Wanyama in January.

Wanyama has struggled with injuries for the last couple of seasons but when fit, he did a solid job for Spurs operating as a pivot deep in the middle of the park in front of the backline. 

The Kenyan is a far superior player to Carlos Sanchez and would give the Hammers a real robust option in the middle of the park.

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Tough-tackling, aggressive and physical, the ex-Southampton enforcer has all the necessary qualities to partner Declan Rice in central midfield.

Verdict

Wanyama has fallen down the pecking order following the high-profile arrivals of Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso. If West Ham are to enjoy a successful campaign, the Kenyan’s signing in the New Year should be an absolute no-brainer.