The sad decline of Victor Wanyama, Tottenham's one-season wonder

Tottenham's record Premier League points haul came in the 2016/17 season, where they finished second to Antonio Conte's Chelsea, as they finished on 86 points for the campaign, seven points behind their London rivals. Following the decision to cut the league from 22 to 20 teams for the 1995/96 season, that points haul would have been enough to be crowned champions on eight occasions, and miss out on goal difference alone in a further two.  

That same campaign marked their best ever finish since the Premier League's 1992 inception and it's no coincidence that it came with, arguably, Spurs' best midfield pairing of the modern era. Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele complimented one another perfectly at the base of the midfield in Mauricio Pochettino's 4-2-3-1 setup in the 2016/17 campaign, while the duo were hugely effective when the Argentine experimented with a three-man defence. 

Their authoritative performances allowed the attacking personnel to flourish as Spurs tore opponents to shreds, largely through the offensive thrust afforded to the side by Kyle Walker and Danny Rose, when fit, down the right and left, respectively. That season was Wanyama's best rated in the Premier League to date as the Kenyan return a WhoScored rating of 7.21. 

He won possession in the midfield third the third most times (154) and ranked among the top 10 Premier League players for tackles (90). Wanyama's ball winning quality ensured Spurs conceded the fewest goals in England's top tier (26) that term as they went through their final season at White Hart Lane unbeaten having failed to win just two of 19 home league matches. 

Sadly, that campaign marked the beginning of the end of Wanyama's Spurs career. Over the subsuquent three seasons, he'd go on to make just 12 Premier League starts for the north London side and, on Tuesday night, it was confirmed that he'd moved to MLS side Montreal Impact on a three-year deal. 

Ongoing knee injuries have curtailed Wanyama's playing time in England and marked a sharp decline in his career. He was no longer the charging bull in the Spurs midfield, and with a lack of mobility in a key role on the pitch, the highlight of Wanyama's career in recent seasons in his thundering effort in Spurs' 2-2 draw with Liverpool in February 2018. 

It's been a sad decline for the ball winning Kenya captain, who should be approaching the peak of his career, not departing a Champions League side - at least for the time being - for an MLS outfit, with all due respect to Montreal Impact. And how Spurs would love a 2016/17 Wanyama in the middle of the park now. 

All eight of Spurs' statistically calculated WhoScored weaknesses are defensive related with Jose Mourinho unable to call upon a nominated defensive shield in the middle of the park. With Eric Dier, whose recent form shows he is hardly good enough to play the role anyway, admitting he wants to focus his career at centre-back - "That's where I see myself playing," Dier said in the wake of Spurs' 3-2 defeat to Wolves, where he started at the heart of a three-man backline - the first port of call for the north London side this summer is a holding midfielder. 

Wanyama was the perfect player to operate in front of the defence in his debut campaign in England having been dispossessed just 34 times across his 36 league outings. Opponents could try to win the ball off Wanyama, but it was a nigh-on impossible task. That quickly changed when he returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The unsuccessful first touches were more prominent, he was easier to shake off the ball and his all-action displays were anything but as he lost a yard of pace that meant he was unable to cover ground and win possession in the same manner he was able to do in 2016/17. 

It feels somewhat poetic, then, that his final Premier League appearance came against Southampton, who took the risk on Wanyama back in 2013 and was a player Pochettino so desperately wanted in north London that Spurs tried and tried to convince Saints to sell before eventually proving successful in their hunt for the midfielder in 2016. 

Fast forward four years and while he is the ideal midfielder Spurs need right now, his body just won't allow him to carry out the necessary defensive duties that saw him quickly endear himself to supporters. Wanyama has rarely come into first team reckoning in recent months, his departure on Tuesday night is tinged with sadness as the club's 'what could have been' player and, perhaps more importantly, the final nail in the Pochettino-era coffin, with Wanyama epitomising the Argentine's reign at the club more than most.