Kenyan international Victor Wanyama celebrating after scoring the winning goal for Tottenham against Crystal Palace. PHOTO/scioperosport.com
LONDON, United Kingdom, Nov 2- Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes Victor Wanyama is the only Tottenham Hotspur summer signing to have made an impact at White Hart Lane so far.
Tottenham made four signings in the previous transfer window, with Georges Kevin N’Koudou, Vincent Janssen and Moussa Sissoko all moving to the North London club alongside Wanyama.
However, N’Koudou, Janssen and Sissoko have all struggled to make an impact in their initial appearances at White Hart Lane.
Janssen is still yet to score a goal from open play for Spurs, Sissoko has failed to inject much quality into Tottenham’s attack, and N’Koudou has generally been used as an impact substitute.
Ferdinand said: “Of the four they bought, only Wanyama has made a real impact on the side. He has started very well, yet the others haven’t really added to the team in terms of goals or performances. I’m sure that is a frustration for Mauricio Pochettino at the moment. Tottenham are drawing too many games and I believe they have just become a bit too predictable.”
At the same time, Wanyama speaking in a separate interview believes it’s the small details that Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino focuses on which improves the club’s players.
The 25-year-old Kenyan international has been a revelation at Spurs, settling in quickly and bossing the team’s midfield battles home and away, having started every Premier League game since his arrival in the summer.
Mauricio Pochettino delights in Victor Wanyama’s solo goal that earned Spurs maximum points. PHOTO/DAILYMAIL
When asked how Pochettino, who also managed the midfielder at Southampton, had helped him adapt to life at the North London side, he said: “It’s how the manager acts, he works really hard. That makes us get much fitter to compete and improves players.”
“I’ve improved. Every game I have a lot to learn. That’s the most important thing. I’ve improved everything, in every aspect. The small details the manager goes into, they make us improve very much.”
The Kenyan captain is preparing with his team-mates to face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League at Wembley on Wednesday night.
He revealed that playing in Europe’s elite competition was merely a bonus and not the main reason for him joining the Lilywhites.
“It was not only about the Champions League, but also to come to a top club and compete for the title. That’s every player’s ambition,” he said.
“The Champions League is a bonus. Everyone wants experience in Europe. We’ve got it and hopefully we can keep it for many years.”
On the match against the Germans he added: “We know Wembley is a good stadium. Everybody wants to play there. It’s just like any other pitch when you are on it. We have to go on the pitch and play as usual.
“We know it’s a tough group, but we need to take it game by game and then hopefully we can get some positive results and it can see us through.”
The midfielder scored for Celtic in their famous victory against Barcelona in 2012 and believes the Tottenham fans can create a similar atmosphere to that at Celtic Park at Wembley this week even if it’s a very different stadium.
Victor Wanyama wheels away in celebration after scoring the winner for Celtic in a 2-1 result against Barcelona in 2012. PHOTO/DAILY RECORD
“We know we have great support from our fans. Hopefully they will be lighting the stadium up so it can help us get a result,” he said.
“It’s different [to Celtic Park], but still we can hear our fans and the most important thing is to deliver on the pitch.”
On playing on a larger pitch compared to White Hart Lane, Wanyama added: “For me it’s no difference. It’s 11 v 11 so it doesn’t matter if we’re playing on a big pitch or small pitch. We need to adapt and do the business.”
