Victor Wanyama’s agent has been forced into an embarrassing u-turn as the midfielder completed a £12.5m transfer to Southampton.
Ivan Modia was notable by his absence yesterday when the deal was completed with Saints boss Mauricio Porchettino keen to stress that the deal had been completed on the club’s terms.
Two weeks ago Modia claimed that the Saints ‘deal’ was dead as Cardiff entered the equation.
Speaking yesterday Pochettino stated: “I want to stress that the deal could have been done sooner but this shows that we do business on our terms.
“The most important thing is that ourselves, Celtic and the player are all happy with the way it has gone.
“The fact that a lot of top European clubs were also keen to sign him shows what an attractive prospect Southampton is to a player who had his pick of the teams in England and abroad.
“I’ve watched him perform at the top level in the Champions League and I believe he will be a valuable addition to our Premier League squad for the season ahead.”
As the move developed into a saga Modia was adamant that his client wouldn’t be going to Southampton.
On June 24 he told Sky Sports: “We are not in talks with Southampton and have not been since their final offer of terms, which was more than two weeks ago.
“The news of the fee being agreed may just be coming out now, but we see little sense in a fee being agreed if there is no reasonable prospect of the player’s terms being met.
“To suggest we are talking with Southampton is totally false, their offer was way below Victor’s expectations. There is no chance of him signing the deal on offer and, in fact, both Celtic and Southampton were informed of this some time ago.
“The player will not be forced into a corner to accept the Southampton deal, just because it is good for Celtic.”
With a £12.5m fee heading Celtic’s way it seems that Modia has gone back on his word but a healthy commission on the deal should provide him with some compensation.
Pochettino said: “We are a big admirer of Victor’s talents and he will fit in well to the team here at Southampton.
Good luck to big Vic! I think Southampton was a good choice for him in terms of walking in and commanding a place in the team as opposed to maybe Arsenal where he might have had to beat off some quality to fight his way into the team…
Sad to see him go but im hopeful that Lenny will be allowed to use the cash for the good of the team…HH!
I understand it’s easy to assume that the bigger the reputation of a club, the better the players should be but it’s always best to check facts first to save making an incorrect and biased statement.
Southampton already has the strongest midfield in the EPL, the stats for last season show this so Vic won’t necessarily be commanding a place and the quality couldn’t be higher. Don’t just take my word for it though, do some research yourself. I’d recommend SkySports website, search and read Pochettinos plans.
Very happy to be signing him though and Good luck to you guys for the forthcoming season
‘Southampton already has the strongest midfield in the EPL’
How hot is it down there mate stats can be turned to suit any argument if you think Southampton have the strongest midfield in EPL your mad should not be out on your own HH
Great bussiness from Celtic as long as he’s replaced with quality, to me it’s pointless having money in the bank if the product on the park is shite no one turns up at Celtic park to watch a bank statement. Sorry to see the big man go and hopefully it’s a stepping stone to bigger things if Southampton is his ambition I would be disappointed. Good luck victor your goal against barca will live long in the memory hail hail
Modia has been a toolbox from the start…Yeah Vics goal against Barca was magic…Im sure Lennon will have a plan, hopefully some more quality comes in…
Mark do you not see that if players of his calibre continue to join the Saints, that this move will become positive and ambitious as the stock of the club will rise? Your views are under-researched and static.
You honestly think Southampton is a move wanyama would have chosen ? Never in a million years he’s went there to get to the EPL hopefully play well and get picked up by a top club, who wants to be kicking about the bottom hoping you don’t get relegated ….. HH
I can’t be sure what Wanyama’s motives are (aside money) and neither can you.
Regardless, it won’t do us any harm to have players like him in the side for a couple of years conjoined with the fact that nowadays we import more quality than we export, so there’s greater chance that him and the likes of will hang around. Most players who arrive believe in the project and the direction we’re headed. The ambition is being realised and has been since we were bought in 2009 (most of our money is from a private owner, not the Sky TV bankroll).
Our chairman hasn’t failed to deliver on any of his aims, I firmly believe we’ll be solid top 8 in the next few years and challenging for a Europa space. Plus, we’ve stopped selling our family jewels – wait until 6pm tonight and you’ll hear that another top youth talent has signed a long-term contract – Luke Shaw. This is a stepping stone.
There no disputing the quality your buying here wanyama is the real deal and you’ve done great getting back to back promotions and staying up last year a just dont think players on the way up are thinking ‘ I can’t wait to sign for Southampton ‘ you’ve signed some to talent but you also signed dross ie hoiveld(spelling) fox and the balloon Davis from sevco so there not all good signings and you’ve got our old keeper boruc who was top quality 3/4 years ago. Don’t think you’ll get top 8 in the near future there’s teams that’s been in the EPL for years and never got it. At the end of the day Southampton is a small team in the south of England that nobody outside England could find on a map that’s the truth mate. Good luck for the season HH
Fox and Hoiveld were signed whilst in league one and the Championship. They are not of Prem quality and wont get a look in next season. Your ignorance is very depressing. You only get in the Champions League cos you have no competition.
Knibbsy
“You only get in the Champions League cos you have no competition”.
You don’t make the last 16 of the CL ‘cos there’s no competition, especially when you’ve got Barca, Juventus and Spartac Moscow in your group.
Let’s not get into the laptop loyalist Celtic are NOW a selling club claptrap, as though the huns getting caught lying thieving and cheating has brought us down in some way.
Utter utter bullshite!
EVERY CLUB IS A SELLING CLUB IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT !
EVERY CLUB!
As for us, Crerand, Dalgliesh, Nicholas, McClare, McAvennie…..yada…yada..yada.
HH
Good luck Victor and you go with everyone’s best wishes I am sure. You will always receive a warm welcome back at Celtic Park. I believe that Southampton have a great player on their hands and they will surprise many people in the Premiership this year. I am glad to see that Celtic, Southampton and Victor conducted their business together and with dignity. The best thing Victor can now do is get rid of his ‘dick’ of an agent and listen to his father and his older brother.
Good comments above
Sounds like we have got a great player.
Please no rubbish from Saints fans on ‘ we are a bigger club ‘ We are not BUT we are wealthier at this moment
If Cortese takes us in the direction he wants to then maybe Victor will be here for 4 years and more. Euope for us next season ( after a 6th place finish ) I hope
Btw nick I hope the big chap performs for you as well as he did for us, Champions League et al.
You just bought yourselves one mighty fine player.
HH
Agents; the scourge of football
Bang on Kevin.
Obviously there has all ways been corruption in football across the world since the year dot, but to me it seems like the introduction of agents, the Bosman ruling, has opened the door to all sorts dodgy practices, flagrant disregard of rules and regulations and blatant corruption.
The enemy within.
HH
@ Mark, “Southampton is small team in the south of England nobody outside England could find on a map”…still big enough to buy your best player plus you do realise people in foreign countries think scotland an English county ? No, really !
Yawn, 1976 ring any bells mate. You’ll have vic for a year tops he’ll realise your a small club fighting relagation and leave for a bigger club, in football terms nobody has ever heard of Southampton and wouldn’t find it on a map that’s a fact. Southampton – local Celtic – global HH
There is a difference between stature and wealth you know!
HH
Knibbsy,
They played last season that makes them EPL players in my book, yh we do get into the CL but where we play is not out fault we can only beat what’s in front of us and if we came down to the EPL in 2/3/4 years we would be winning that, HH
I am from the U.S and not only have I heard of Southampton but I’m an avid Saints fan. I also know that Celtic are known on this side as the best of the worst. Won’t Rangers be topping you guys again in a few years? Also Scotland seems to have like 18 football leagues. I’m interested to know how you guys have fans show up for games when it seems like the whole country would have to show up for their own teams on the weekends.
Yh Shane big saints fan all the way from the USA, sevco died trying to keep ahead of Celtic not sure what the best of the worsed means as Celtic have a big following in America proberly the biggest supported football club there due to the high number of Irish who live there. Anyway keep supporting the biggest club in Southampton mate they need it HH
southampton are a bigger club than Celtic. If not, then why is victor leaving rather than staying? More money, you say? They have more money because they are a bigger club. Simple.
The Scottish league is a joke. No better than the Greek league. It makes of laugh that Celtic think they are bigger than any premier league team when they have just sold a player for a RECORD fee of 12m.
Genuinely big clubs do business like that on a regular basis. Celtic are small fry. Have fun playing Ross county and being totally mutilated in Europe. Thanks for the player.
Lol drug test this clown, Southampton bigger than Celtic do me a favour, you play in a high profile league ya clown that’s the difference you’ve got sky money if sky disappeared so would the EPL and every club in it, we’ll happily take 12m and move on. Remember big clubs win regular small clubs win there last cup in 1976 37 years ago how can you honestly think your a big club ? HH
Celtic are merely a medium fish in a tiny tiny pond. You just lost your best player to a club who you couldn’t match in wages, transfer fees or stature. I have nothing against Celtic but no Scottish club is or will ever be as big as an English premier league or even championship club.
Lets face it. You have ZERO competition. Absolutely ZERO. I always laugh when i see Celtic fans at league matches celebrating a goal. What is the point of supporting Celtic? You will always who the league but never get anywhere in Europe. Why waste your money? Its like watching the same boring film over and over. Winning the Scottish league is the equivalent of, say, carlisle winning the paint trophy every year but being the only team to enter. Your league is a boring joke and no decent players with even tiny amounts of ambition would ever want to stay there.
And the reason we have sky money is because people all over the world want to watch English football. No one wants to watch Scottish football. The standard is so poor it is embarrassing. When Scotland last qualify for an international tournament again? Can you even remember? Scottish football sucks. Celtic are a joke. Ross county? Ha ha ha.
We feel your pain #ric, really we do.
We might be blowing big snot bubbles laughing at it, but we feel it just the same.
I’m thinking about how many epl teams done better than the mighty Hoops in the CL last season, and for all their tens of millions of pounds advantage, just how much further they reached.
Maybe you can enlighten us #ric?
HAil HAil
Have Southampton ever been in Europe ? We won the European cup got to another final a couple of semi finals got to Uefa final 10 years ago been in the last 16 CL 3 times won countless leagues and cups if we played in the EPL we would do the same sure people want to watch English football but a will guarantee its not Southampton that want to watch ya clown HH
Yes we have played in Europe, quite a few times and I dare say we would be there a lot more if we had a free pass like you do.
Love the listing of the trophies etc, It’s like listening to an 18 yr old boasting about how he went down to the local kindergarten and knocked all the five year olds out. Keep up the comedy gold and don’t let truth stand in the way of your delusion, will you. STID
Fee foe fye fum mate.
Widdiye smell?
HH….Hurting Hun …lol.
As i have said, Celtic being in Europe is the least impressive thing in history. Good effort trying to boast about that. Like i said, two words: Ross County. Ha ha ha. No wonder wanyama left. The fixture list probably made him die of laughter.
Oh dear!
Seriously that bad?
Let’s all laugh at the hurting hun, AFPMSL!
Outstanding.
HH
Mate there are mental Southampton bigger than Celtic lol if there Huns that’s sad if there Southampton fans that’s sadder. We are Celtic world wide fame Southampton aren’t even the biggest club in the south of England, mon the Pompey HH
Well that just about qualifies those specific supporters as huns.
Those fkrs are every fkn every were!
Lets not tar the entire Saints support (that would br SAINTS support) on the basis of a #ric on the net.
HH
We have Victor Wanyama, you have Ross County. WTFILN?
If Im not mistaken, I believe Glasgow Celtic Est 1888 actually performed, rather well I might say, against the likes of Barcelona, Benfica and M Dynamo, last sixteen of the champions league pal!!!
You must have got hit with a brick last night!! APMSL!!
You’re a troll pal trying to stir the pot against The Champions of Scotland and a good honest team, Southamptom.
Stealing from charities.
Oh dear!
Good luck with that.
To all The Saints out there, this guys a tube, I can’t speak for every Celtic supporter, but I reckon I can speak for a few, I honestly hope the Big Chap does well where ever he goes and that includes doing an outstanding job at Southampton.
You’ve got a goodún, buckle in.
HH
Cheers Sweeney. If Vic performs as we hope, he will be loved. Hope your guvnors spend the money well, good luck next season. STID
I have no axe to grind. I actually respect fans like yours, supporting the smaller clubs.
We feel your pain.