Wanyama moves to Spurs

It is the end of a year long transfer saga. It all started last summer with a derisory offer from low budget Bond villain Daniel Levy. When this failed a campaign of tapping up via media ensued and the hissy fit that followed from Wanyama played a part in Southampton's Europa league exit. The Kenyan's standing with many fans was damaged irreversibly.

Every time a saint leaves the south coast there is instant revisionism from the St. Mary's faithful. Where we once marvelled at Lallana's beautiful first touch and endless Cryuff turns later we would focus on his crappy finishing and awful facial hair. Victor's new old boss, Pochettino, was a genius until he left us then we all saw the reality, there was no plan B, the guy was useless.

If you want to play this game with Big Victor then you can. Last season, in the league, in matches where he played more than 60 minutes saints won 10, drew 8 and lost 9. Good for 1.41 points per game. Of the regulars only Stekelenburg and Yoshida had a worse record. When he didn't play our points per game record was better than the eventual champions. There were also the discipline issues that lead to too many missed games through suspension and his lacklustre passing ability.

But make no mistake Victor Wanyama will leave behind a massive hole in the squad. Southampton operate in a sub division below the elite of the premier league. Where the big six can invest in players that have everything. Technical ability, pace and strength. The saints have to assemble a squad where players excel in some areas and lack in others. Tadic brings incredible technical ability but is slow, Clasie has an amazing array of passing but is tiny. Shane Long is the anti-Tadic, relentless, incredibly quick but unable to control the football. When they come together they create a team better than the sum of its parts.

Wanyama's super power is extraordinary strength. A player so powerful that he essentially cordons off a section of the pitch as wide the 18 yard box in front of the defence and makes it a no go zone. He was our goon. Our enforcer. Mess with Tadic or Clasie and you'll have to spend the rest of your afternoon watching over your shoulder. Toby Alderweireld voted for him as player of the season when he was here for a reason. For spurs, Dier did an admirable job in that position last season but when the big clubs visit White Hart Lane a Dier-Wanyama shield in front of the back four is going to help spurs compete with a retooled top 6.

As for our future. Romeu is the obvious replacement and Harrison Reed will start as his back up. The black box will undoubtedly be working 24/7 searching for the next N'Golo Kante to replace the big man but it won't be as easy as people think.

Ignore the impending talk of meltdowns, this was always on the cards. The board hoped he might sign an extension but knew it was unlikely. We fans knew there was a 90% chance of this transfer going through and now must hope the 50-50 chance of Mane staying goes our way.

Wanyama's final message to the Southampton fans is a rather lovely parting letter.

Godspeed Victor.