Tottenham Hotspur are set to block any West Ham United move for midfielder Victor Wanyama, per Football Insider.
What’s the word?
The report states that Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini admires the Kenya international and believes he could be a shrewd recruit for his squad.
However, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is said to be unwilling to do business with the Irons, due to the long-standing acrimony between the two clubs.
The Hammers, of course, beat their London rivals to the Olympic Stadium before its rebranding as the London Stadium, while Spurs also refused to allow Emmanuel Adebayor to move to east London in 2015, per the aforementioned report.
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Nevertheless, Football Insider reports that Spurs are still hoping to sell Wanyama in January, placing an asking price of £10m on the midfielder.
Pettiness
Wanyama isn’t going to strengthen West Ham.
This is a player who has largely been on the fringes of the Spurs squad in recent months.
He has played 90 minutes once this season, in the embarrassing Carabao Cup defeat to Colchester United, and has just 23 minutes of league football under his belt.
No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?
At this stage, then, Spurs should be welcoming bids from any interested parties.
In fact, Wanyama is surely so rusty – he made just four starts last season too – that he would surely weaken the Hammers instead of strengthening them.
Levy shouldn’t be standing in the Irons’ way here.
Meanwhile, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has given his verdict on his side’s character.