10 Africans unsettled in the English Premier League: #5 Victor Wanyama

Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur and Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur warm up prior to the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between Tottenham Hotspur and FC Barcelona at Wembley Stadium on October 3, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 2, 2018 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

Of course, it is nice to see the likes of Mo Salah, Percy Tau and Hakim Ziyech shine for their nations over the most recent international break but it also raises questions about some popular names who are finding themselves in sticky situations. There are a number of African players dubbed to be the next Sergio Ramos and Xavis of this world but are currently unsettled at club level. Their potential is endangered by their lack of game time. Here’s a list of the XI players whose progress has stalled. What better time to look at these than now when the January transfer window is fast encroaching?

DM – Victor Mugubi Wanyama

Enough has been said already about the Kenyan defensive midfielder who is finding minutes very hard to come by at Wembley Stadium (Tottenham Hotspur’s temporary home stadium). Mauricio Pochettino was right to identify the player as the solution to the hole in the middle that had been left by Sandro at Tottenham. In all fairness, the player was thrown straight into the team and shined in his first season at the club in the 2016/17 English Premier League season. He however, has been ousted by the likes of Harry Winks, Eric Dier and even Moussa Sissoko. Wanyama is currently being played in the cup games against lesser teams whilst Pochettino’s first preferences are given a necessary break. This is an unusual situation for a player who was one of the first names on the team sheet at both Celtic and Southampton before his big move to the North London club. At 27, the player is reaching his prime years and cannot be wasted warming the bench at Tottenham when he is more than capable of competing for a first team position within the defensive midfield role at any top club in Europe.

Verdict: He should drop his CV by Manchester City and Arsenal’s doors as he walks out of White Hart Lane.

Is Wanyama risking pulling off an "Obi Mikel" at Tottenham?

Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City and Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur battle for possession during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 13, 2018 in London, England.

(May 12, 2018 - Source: Warren Little/Getty Images Europe)

It’s not everyday that you come across a Kenyan in the global football circles. Football is simply perhaps not their thing, there are other things they are quite good at. Exceptionally so. For instance, when it comes to marathon running, they are the best Olympians. Everyone knows that. Should you get a chance to stumble upon one, he/she must be really outstanding and that’s the case of Victor Wanyama, the Kenyan captain and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder. Well, there is however an unsettling feeling around Vic’s Spurs career which is floating in the air.

A Pochettino’s Tottenham “Renaissance” Trooper

The North London is now easily regarded as one of the top six sides in the English Premier League, thanks to Mauricio Pochettino’s current reign, who took the reins from Tim Sherwood in 2014. The Argentine has transformed the club’s philosophy into a highly coveted attacking style of football and has seen them return to UEFA Champions League football, even rubbing shoulders and beating the likes of  record winners Real Madrid, 3-1 at Wembley in the 2017/18 tournament. The club is on course to open their new stadium and however still pressing on towards some first piece of silverware under Pochettino, all sounding much like their North London rivals, Arsenal under Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman who is widely regarded to have “built” the club’s Emirates stadium and brought in an attractive style of play to England but also enjoyed limited silverware success in a 22-year tenure.

Now, true to the story is that Victor Mugubi Wanyama emerged as one of the special troopers in Pochettino’s transformed squad. He first made contact with the Vic in 2013 when he signed him from the Scottish Premier League club, Celtic for a fee understood to be £12.5 million to become the first ever Kenyan to play in the English Premier League.

“Southampton is a good club and it has good players, so I just want to train hard and work hard to be a part of the starting XI. We’ll see where that will take me. It feels great and I am happy to be here. There were other options, but Southampton is a club with ambitions so I chose to come here. I’m very grateful to be here and I’m looking forward to playing in the Premier League.”

— Victor Wanyama on signing for Southampton

Mauricio clearly loved Wanyama’s style of play and even brought him to Spurs in 2016 and went on to become a crowd favorite as a “no nonsense” type of defensive midfielder who shoves opponents off the ball with great stamina to pick out passes in the attacking third or sprint forward to finish some chances. In fact, according to the Premier League official stats, he boasts of a superior tackle success rate of 76% in 140 appearances in the division, higher than the 2018 FIFA FIFPRO XI winner, N’golo Kante or arguably the best defensive midfielder in the division, Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye.

Injuries setbacks

Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur poses with the trophy for Carling Premier League Goal of the Month for February 2018 at on March 8, 2018 in Enfield, England.

(March 7, 2018 - Source: Paul Harding/Getty Images Europe)

A series of major and minor injuries have seen the 27-year-old’s career progressing slower than it first looked. He suffered a knee injury in the early stages of the 2017/18 season that saw him sidelined for four months, only to return to full training in December 2017. Since then, he has found it hard to pick up some momentum with slight injuries and mostly managerial decisions sidelining him out of the side. He has managed just fifty-five appearances since 2016 for Spurs with 36 starts in the first season while only nine starts have come to his name since August 2017. Wanyama is clearly a player who seem to be moving further down the pecking order as each day goes by at Tottenham. He did have a wow moment in February 2018 when he scored a thunderbolt for Spurs at Anfield against Liverpool after coming on as a substitute. With that stunner, he won the Premier League goal of the month but that was the last of it.

An Obi Mikel Chelsea vibe surrounding Wanyama’s career?

Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel, is one of Africa’s greatest exports to the English top flight who is believed to have wasted a career at Chelsea after spending eleven years at the club from 2006-2017 managing only 249 appearances with a handful of them as a substitute and some in the least competitive matches such as those for domestic cups. Most people build legend status in that time, for example the Ivorian Didier Drogba did was worshipped at the club after spending only eight years. Mikel even accepted a change of role from being a potent attacking midfielder to a defensive one in that period, eventually getting a break late on when he moved to the Chinese Super League.

At 27 years of age, its starting to look like Wanyama might become a permanent bench warmer after managing just one appearance this 2018/19 season in all competitions. Even Spurs fans are getting frustrated at the snub of the Kenyan international for the English trio of Eric Dier, Moussa Dembele and Harry Winks in the Tottenham midfield. With Pochettino believed to have a keen eye on English talent and developing it, Wanyama might be risking a career to remember for all Kenyans.

What do you think is the fate of the Kenyan rare gem in Victor Mugubi Wanyama?

English Premier League Round Up: Matchday 5

Cardiff City vs Manchester City (Saturday, 22 September 2018)

Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City scores his team's fourth goal during the Premier League match between Cardiff City and Manchester City at Cardiff City Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Cardiff, United Kingdom.

(Sept. 21, 2018 - Source: Stu Forster/Getty Images Europe)

Pep Guardiola’s men thumped the home team by five goals to nil and the Algerian international made a mark in this game. Mahrez scored two goals on the day which are his first goals for the Premier League champions.

Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (Saturday, 22 September 2018)

Ivorian centre back Eric Bailly’s struggles continued as he was benched again on Saturday when the Manchester club played Wolves. The defender was not available to help his team who were disappointing in front of their fans at the “Theater of Dreams”. It was also Sir Alex Ferguson’s first appearance back at the club since being discharged from the hospital. United drew 0-0 with Wolves.

Liverpool vs Southampton (Saturday, 22 September 2018)

It was the Cameroonian international, Joel Matip’s debut for the season as his club took on the Saints. He marked his return to the first team with a goal on the 21st minute courtesy of a brilliantly taken corner kick by Trent Alexander Arnold.

Also, another African player made it on the scoresheet for Liverpool. English Premier League top goal scorer for the 2017/18 season, Mohamed Salah, scored Liverpool’s third in a 3-0 victory against Van Dijk’s old club. This result means that Liverpool maintain their perfect start to the season with five straight victories in the league. Watch out for the African connection at this club!

Joel Matip of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Southampton FC at Anfield on September 22, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

(Sept. 21, 2018 - Source: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe)

Brighton vs Tottenham (Saturday, 22 September 2018)

Tottenham grinded out a 2-1 win away from home. The main highlight from this match for us was the fact that Vincent Wanyama did not play yet again. The African player seems to have fallen out of favor at the London club which raises questions about his future. The Kenyan midfielder is too talented to be wasted on the bench at any club having been denied the opportunity to get some game time in the UEFA Champions League opener against Inter Milan.

Lucas Moura and VIctor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur FC play around while visting Venice Beach on July 24, 2018 in Venice, California.

(July 23, 2018 - Source: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images North America)

West Ham vs Chelsea (Sunday, 23 September 2018)

We were keen to see two African players in action, with DR Congo international, Masuaku playing in his preferred left back role for West Ham United as well as Victor Moses being preferred on the right hand side of an attacking three for Chelsea. It was unfortunate to see Sari rotating that position bringing on William ahead of the Nigerian international who recently announced his retirement with an intention to focus on his career with Chelsea. Both teams had little to separate them as the game ended in another goalless draw.

Arsenal vs Everton (Sunday, 23 September 2018)

Gabonese international striker, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang continued his goal scoring form for Arsenal as he scored the second goal for the club in a 2-0 victory against Everton. The first was scored by fellow striker, Alexandre Lacazette who has formed a bromance with the former Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan striker. Nigerian midfielder, Alex Iwobi could only come off the bench for Aubameyang after his stellar performances in mid week where he was by far the man of the Match for Arsenal in the UEFA Europa League match against Vorskla Poltava.

UEFA Champions League: Five Young Africans To Watch

The time that we have all been waiting for has now arrived. The most enticing soccer tournament at club level, the UEFA Champions League, returns on Tuesday, 18th of September, 2018. The very best clubs in European football will once again face each other in the group stages of the elite European soccer tournament in a bid to win the UEFA Champions League trophy from defending champions Real Madrid who have won it 3 times in a row to date. The Spanish giants are one of the favorites to win the competition but the rest of the teams in the 32 team tournament have made necessary improvements with the aim to compete at the highest level. This feature is not about identifying the team with the best chances of winning the 2017/18 edition. Instead, it is an opportunity to present the five African players that you need to watch out for in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League tournament aside from the popular ones like Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane, Mahrez and crew.

Andre Onana

Andre Onana of Ajax clears the ball under pressure from Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Manchester United during the UEFA Europa League Final between Ajax and Manchester United at Friends Arena on May 24, 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden.

(May 23, 2017 - Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe)

FirstTouch brought you a short piece about the young goalkeeper who is currently plying his trade in the Netherlands for Ajax Amsterdam. He made the right noises last season when he made the number 1 spot his at the dutch club. Onana is a 22-year old Cameroonian that still has a lot to learn from the game but is already trusted at a club with so much history of developing world class players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Suarez, Christian Eriksen only to mention but just a few. Onana’s Ajax is seeded in Group E with German giants, Bayern Munich, a fairy strong team in Benfica and AEK Athens. These coming six matches will be like cup finals for the Cameroonian goalkeeper who dreams of playing for a big club after having come through Barcelona’s La Masia academy. Ajax has already kept 5 clean sheets in the 6 matches that the young African has been between the sticks. It will take a lot for him to maintain such stats when playing with stronger opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Onana will surely be out to prove a point that he is ready for his big move and should be a player on your radar as you watch the group stages of the tournament.

“He was limited to second half cameos off the bench at the FIFA World Cup 2018. They say that a wounded dog is the deadliest, and Keita must be just that. He could prove his doubters wrong in this stage of the competition. ”

— Tinotenda Magiya, FirstTouch Africa

Achraf Hakimi

Achraf Hakimi of Morocco is challenged by David Silva of Spain during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group B match between Spain and Morocco at Kaliningrad Stadium on June 25, 2018 in Kaliningrad, Russia.

(June 24, 2018 - Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe)

His move to Dortmund was quite a shocker for us especially after being one of the best players for Morocco in the 2018 FIFA World Cup group stages before they were knocked out in Russia. We assumed that he would cement his place at least on the bench at Real Madrid ahead of Nacho who had been used sparingly as a deputy to Carvajal. Nonetheless, Real Madrid went on to buy another player in Odriozola which meant that the Moroccan international was further down the pecking order at the Los Blancos. He moved to Germany with an aim to prove a point that he is ready to play for the biggest club in the world but he has not been handed the opportunity yet as he is still yet to make his first appearance for Dortmund. If given a start, Hakimi will be doing what he does best which is defend with high intensity and overlap whenever he gets the chance. These are assets that big clubs need and he will be eager to show that he can do it on a regular basis. Achraf Hakimi will surely grab the opportunity once it is handed to him.

Victor Wanyama

Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur poses with the trophy for Carling Premier League Goal of the Month for February 2018 at on March 8, 2018 in Enfield, England.

(March 7, 2018 - Source: Paul Harding/Getty Images Europe)

Yes. Must be surprised to see the Kenyan defensive midfielder on the list of the players to look out for in the UEFA Champions League especially considering the fact that he has not been starting matches for Tottenham in the English Premier League. The 27-year old is a defensive shield that has somehow struggled to cement a first team spot in the Spurs team despite being a better tackler than the preferred Dier. The European tournament comes soon after the international break where Dier was integral to the English team which means that he stands a chance of being fatigued. Victor Wanyama might be on his way out of Tottenham if he fails to grab his opportunity this season and this should serve as the necessary motivation to play his best football when called upon in the UEFA Champions League. Victor Wanyama has a knack for scoring long range goals and Tottenham will need these especially when playing against a very much improved Inter Milan team that has so much quality throughout the pitch. They will certainly not make it easy for Pochettino’s men to play their game which requires the African’s physique to budge through players, create space for his teammates or himself and hopefully score. Wanyama will be playing for his life, his career.

Keita Balde

Balde Diao Keita of SS Lazio during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and SS Lazio at Stadio Artemio Franchi on May 13, 2017 in Florence, Italy.

(May 12, 2017 - Source: Marco Rosi/Getty Images Europe)

The Senegalese winger must not be a surprise call on this list after his unexpected move back to Serie A with Inter Milan. The Italian club paid an estimated £4 million for loaning the 23-year old from French Ligue 1 side Monaco. The African player is still yet to score and provide an assist for his teammates this season which should be something that is on the back of his head whenever he plays. He has been handed the opportunity in Serie A already when he deputised for Icardi who was being rested for the UEFA Champions League fixtures. Balde will be looking to play in his preferred right-wing position and show the promise that Monaco saw in him when they sought his services to replace Mbappe. It is undeniable that this could prove to be a lot of pressure after he also lost his place in the first team of Senegal. He was limited to second half cameos off the bench at the FIFA World Cup 2018. They say that a wounded dog is the deadliest, and Keita must be just that. He could prove his doubters wrong in this stage of the competition.

Bertrand Traore

Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur poses with the trophy for Carling Premier League Goal of the Month for February 2018 at on March 8, 2018 in Enfield, England.

(March 7, 2018 - Source: Paul Harding/Getty Images Europe)

Finally, we have the Burkina Faso striker who currently plays for Lyon who are seeded in UEFA Champions League Group F with Manchester City, Hoffenheim and Shakhtar Donetsk. Traore will face some stiff competition in this stage and Lyon will be looking to the player to rescue them with his goals. The 23-year old left Chelsea for Lyon to save his career after cutting a frustrated figure from the endless loan spells which did not warrant a spot for the young forward in the London club’s team. He has scored two goals already and will be looking to add more to his campaign in the group stages. Probably not against Manchester City because they are in a league above the other teams in the group. Maybe against Shakhtar. Traore did not rule out a move back to Chelsea because he still wishes to play in the English Premier League. The African striker will be hungry for goals and will look to hurt the aforementioned teams when supported by players like Memphis Depay. If Lyon are to have a chance to qualify to the next round, Bertrand Traore will have to carry the team with his finishing.

Kenya: Gor Mahia relishing the Hull City fixture

The most successful football club in the Kenyan Premier League, Gor Mahia, with a record sixteen titles, beat their arch-rivals AFC Leopards, 5-4 on penalties to win the Hull City Challenge and get a chance to face the EFL Championship side. The Gor Mahia coach, Dylan Kerr plans to use the fixture to test his side as they prepare to face 2015 CAF Champions League finalists, USM Alger from Algeria.

Speaking to KweseESPN, Kerr said:

"I am glad that we shall face a tough opponent in Hull City. This is not some small team, but a team which will test us in all aspects. Playing the English side will be a true test for us a few days before we host Algeria's USM Alger in the second Group D match. We are delighted that we defeated AFC Leopards to qualify to face the visiting Hull side.”

Gor Mahia is participating in the 2018 CAF Confederation tournament group stages, pitted against Rayon Sports of Rwanda, USM Alger and Young Africans of Tanzania. They shared the spoils with Rayon Sports in their opening fixture that ended in a 1-1 draw away from home and will be hoping to pick maximum points at Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani when they welcome  The Reds and Blacks (USM Alger). The match will take place on the 16th of May.

Gor Mahia also got a chance to play an English opposition last year when they welcomed Everton who are also sponsored by SportPesa. Gor Mahia lost 2-1 in that fixture in Tanzania with Wayne Rooney scoring a cracker.

World Cup Rush: Kenya Power Company urged not to interrupt broadcasts

Perhaps no region might be preparing as much as Africa, for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals kicking off on the 14th of June and specifically, Kenya. The chairman of Gor Mahia, the most successful team in the Kenyan Premier League history, has challenged the Kenya Power Company to be at their consistent best from 14th June to 15th July so as to avoid interruption in viewing the world’s greatest soccer showcase. Ambrose Rachier spoke from his club in Upper Hill, Nairobi after the Pay-TV channel, StarTimes, confirmed live broadcasting of all the 64 matches.

"StarTimes have done well to offer football fans a cheaper and quality option to watch football on TV and mobile phones. The remaining part is for Kenya Power to do their best and ensure fans watch these games without interruption." - Ambrose Rachier, Gor Mahia Chairman

It is actually a common phenomenon in some African countries, that blackouts occur during periods of the most anticipated football tournaments. At times the reason is beyond power authorities’ assumed maliciousness. This time, Kenya is not taking any chances. They are getting ready!

Although the Harambee stars failed to qualify, the CECAFA affiliated nation will be hoping that the likes of Nigeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, and Morocco will make the continent proud.

Abroad: Kenyan international Aboud Omar fired by Bulgarian club

Aboud Omar has been sacked by Slavia Sofia, accusing him of insulting the club, his teammates and the state of Bulgaria. The 25-year-old left back became the first Kenyan to play in the Bulgarian league in 2016 and quickly helped the team to qualify for the Europa League.

In a statement, the club mentioned that Omar had been malicious for months and they were unsure as to his motivations for the said behavior.

“I decided to remove Aboud Omar from the team and his contractual relations with the club will be suspended under the existing legal order. For no apparent reason, the player became cruel and arrogant.He learned the most vulgar phrases in Bulgarian and began to address them to his teammates without exception. The impudent Kenyan began to curse everything, related to life in our country and did not try to conceal his dislike for the Bulgarian state at all…”

— Ventseslav Stefanov, Slavia President

Stefanov also mentioned that all the players of the seven-time Bulgarian champions unanimously backed his decision to relieve Omar of his duties. The Kenyan international is yet to comment on the issue.

2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations Qualifiers: Kenya draws first blood at home against Uganda

The qualifiers for this year’s continental showpiece of women football kicked off in Machakos, Kenya on Wednesday. Lilian Adera’s 53rd-minute strike was enough to secure a one-goal advantage for the Harambee Starlets over the Crested Cranes ahead of the second leg to be played this Sunday at Star Times Stadium, Kampala.

The right-back, Adera, curled in a beautiful cross into the box which flicked past Crested Cranes’ goalkeeper, Ruth Aturo. The overall winner of this tie will face Equatorial Guinea in the final qualification stage with a victory guaranteeing a spot at the finals to be held in Ghana from 17 November to the 1st of December 2018.

In other fixtures, Ethiopia thrashed Libya 8-0 away from home in a first leg match and Tanzania drew 3-3 with Zambia.

All the qualification matches and results are listed below:

4 April: Senegal v Algeria
10 April: Algeria v Senegal

FT: Libya 0 Ethiopia 8
10 April: Ethiopia v Libya

4 April: Congo v Central African Republic
10 April: Central African Republic v Congo

FT: Kenya 1 Uganda 0
8 April: Uganda v Kenya

FT: Tanzania 3 Zambia 3
10 April: Zambia v Tanzania

5 April: Namibia v Zimbabwe
TBC: Zimbabwe v Namibia

6 April: Morocco v Ivory Coast
TBC: Ivory Coast v Morocco

7 April: Sierra Leone v Mali
10 April: Mali v Sierra Leone

7 April: Burkina Faso v Gambia
10 April: Gambia v Burkina Faso

6 April: Lesotho v Swaziland
TBC: Swaziland v Lesotho

Kenya: Tough times ahead for KFF

The Harambee stars recently released their head coach, Paul Put, three months in his contract over possible challenges in meeting his salary. This came after the government’s decision to increase the tax on gaming revenues which saw SportPesa withdrawing their sponsorship of the Kenyan Football Federation (FKF) in January. Now, the country’s two CAF approved stadiums which are currently under renovations might not be ready for the FIFA World Cup and AFCON qualifiers in September as a result of extended politics, short rains, and payment delays. To add insult to injury, China-based, Ayub Timbe will likely miss the Morocco friendly after arriving late in Marrakech and Maritzburg United’s Brian Mandela is a doubt after picking an injury in PSL action in South Africa.

Perhaps the possible matchup of Tottenham’s Victor Wanyama and his returning elder brother, McDonald Mariga will be the silver lining in Kenya’s dark clouds.