Victor Wanyama deserves a second chance at Tottenham

Selling Victor Wanyama in January would be a mistake for Tottenham. Instead, Mauricio Pochettino needs to give the Kenya star a lifeline at Spurs.

The news that Tottenham are anxious to sell Mousa Dembele this January wasn’t a surprise to anyone. The idea that Victor Wanyama is also potentially on the Spurs chopping block is an entirely different manner.

English sources claim Dembele and Victor Janssen are two players Mauricio Pochettino definitely wants to offload this season. The same report claims Spurs are willing to listen to offers for Wanyama and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

The squad definitely needs some healthy turnover in January. The idea that Pochettino wants to reconfigure his midfield is perfectly reasonable. It’s been an area of weakness for Spurs this season. However, selling both Dembele and Wanyama in the same window would represent too much change for Tottenham.

The idea behind selling Dembele in January is easy to understand. It’s the club’s last chance to receive any compensation for the Belgian veteran. If they wait until the summer he’ll just leave for free.

There’s no such pressure to offload Wanyama. He’s under contact with the club for several more seasons. His biggest weakness at the moment is his propensity to suffer injury. Availability is a talent, and it’s not one Wanyama has shown lately.

Giving up on him just isn’t the right move. It wasn’t that long ago that Wanyama was an absolute rock in the middle of Pochettino’s midfield. It might be time for the Argentine gaffer to put his arm around Wanyama and give him some much-needed encouragement. He’s clearly a player who can dominate matches physically when he’s at his best.

At the very least, Spurs should get him until the end of the season to see if he can regain the form that made him an automatic starter just 12 months ago. It’s not as if Pochettino is blessed with a plethora of options in the defensive midfield. Selling both Dembele and Wanyama in the same window would only leave Eric Dier to man the double-pivot as an imposing defensive presence.

It’s very likely that Tottenham will buy another midfielder in January, but that player will likely need time to settle. Keeping Wanyama in the fold would allow that signing the time and space to adjust to life under Pochettino.

It’s just too early for Spurs to give up on a player with Wanyama’s talent. He shouldn’t be on the transfer list in January. Instead, he should be given another chance to work his way back into Pochettino’s good graces.