SAINTS midfielder Victor Wanyama hopes fans will “fully understand” why he could be the first big name to leave St Mary’s in the wake of Ronald Koeman’s departure.
The Kenyan is reportedly on the verge of again linking up with Mauricio Pochettino – the man in charge at St Mary’s when Wanyama joined from Celtic in the summer of 2013 for around £12.5m – at Tottenham.
Wanyama only has a year left on his current Saints deal, and has shown little sign of ever signing a new extended deal.
That means Saints face the prospect of losing him for nothing this time next year, or trying to get the best possible deal they can now.
The lure of Champions League football - where Wanyama played for Celtic - is uppermost in the player’s mind.
"It's always the dream of any footballer to play at the very top level like the Champions League" Wanyama told website Soka25east.com Wanyama also paid tribute to the "awesome" Saints supporters who "always showed him love.”
The tough-tackling player – who turns 25 next week – hopes Saints fans "fully understand his decision" to follow the likes of Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, Calum Chambers, Jack Cork, Nathaniel Clyne and Morgan Schneiderlin out the exit door in the last three summers.
Wanyama has made 97 appearances for Saints in all competitions in his three seasons at St Mary’s.
He has scored four goals and received three red cards.
All his dismissals – against Bournemouth, Norwich and West Ham – came last season.
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