Spurs leave Wanyama out of Champions League squad
What you need to know:
- Last-minute efforts by Tottenham to loan Wanyama out to French league 1 side Amiens fell through at the last moment reportedly over who pays most of the Kenyan captain’s wages.
Victor Wanyama looks likely to have played his last game for English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur after his manager admitted he had too many options ahead of the Kenyan captain in the defensive midfield pecking order.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, manager Jose Mourinho said his decision to leave Wanyama out of the Spurs squad for their Champions League games which begin again this month was because of competition in central midfield.
Tottenham take on RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 fixtures on February 19 at home, before they travel for the return leg on March 10 having reached the final last year.
Uefa rules allow clubs to make changes to their squad ahead of the knockout stages of the competition and Mourinho seemingly took full advantage, dropping the Harambee Stars captain, but finding value in including five goalkeepers in his 30-man squad.
Wanyama played a considerable part in the latter stages of the competition last year but has now slipped down the pecking order at Tottenham.
“Victor is from a position where we have lots of players,” Mourinho said.
The manager also said that he had not yet been able to tell the Kenyan captain because he had been ill although he will undoubtedly now have heard through the media.
Last-minute efforts by Tottenham to loan Wanyama out to French league 1 side Amiens fell through at the last moment reportedly over who pays most of the Kenyan captain’s wages.
A number of other clubs, including Scottish champions Celtic, were said to have been interested but no firm offers were made in time for the January 31 deadline.
There has been some speculation in the media that Tottenham may allow Wanyama to terminate his contract by mutual consent but there has been no official confirmation from the club on the issue.
Wanyama has not played since the 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on December 11 and the latest decision further indicates the player is not part of the coach's plans.
The move means Wanyama, who has not been selected by Mourinho to play for eight straight matches, is only available to play in the English Premier League and FA Cup.
Wanyama has been struck by a series of injuries of late and it is believed Tottenham have actively been trying to sell him.
