Neil Lennon admits he wants to sign Victor Wanyama but says Celtic could struggle to afford Tottenham midfielder

Follow us on Google Discover

The Tottenham Hotspur player has appeared more times for the Celtic manager than all but one of his others.

The Celtic manager Neil Lennon has admitted his interest in bringing the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama back to Glasgow.

But he also warned that the Bhoys may not be able to afford Wanyama – and are not prioritising reinforcements in his position.

It was Lennon who brought the Kenyan to Celtic at the start of the decade and has seen him flourish at Southampton and Tottenham since leaving Parkhead.

But Wanyama has only played three times for Spurs this season – totalling 113 minutes.

And his fortunes do not look likely to improve any time soon, with the 28-year-old having sat out Jose Mourinho’s first two games as Tottenham manager.

“(We’re looking) for a player like Wanyama, it’s about availability,” Lennon said at Celtic’s annual general meeting, as quoted by The Daily Record. “They (Tottenham) have had a change of manager, then there’s affordability.

“Would I like Wanyama in the building? Of course.

“But it may not be an area we are looking to add to because of the way the midfield is functioning.

“We are looking at the forward area, that may be the one area we are looking strengthen.”

Wanyama has appeared more times for Lennon (91) – who is in his second spell in charge of Celtic – than he has for any other manager except for his former Southampton and Tottenham boss, Mauricio Pochettino (120).