It’s been an important week for the Impact as the season has now officially gained steam. After earning a victory in its first game of the MLS season last Saturday, the club announced on Tuesday the signing of its new Designated Player, Victor Wanyama, from English club Tottenham Hotspur.
The Kenyan midfielder joined his teammates for his first training session before being presented to the media yesterday afternoon. As is routinely done, he was asked to put on his jersey for a few pictures after the question period finished. But when he was asked to turn around and show the name on the back, the Impact’s newest addition politely refused, adding: “It’s only the name on the front that matters.”
Meanwhile, head coach Thierry Henry, watching from the back of the room behind all the media present, couldn’t help but smile.
“He made me laugh when we said that, but it’s the truth,” said Henry, speaking with the media the following day. “He talked about the team. What’s most important is what’s in front, not in the back. The name is for the TV, so that we recognize the players. He knows his name, so no need to turn around.”
Henry wasn’t surprised with that answer either. Wanyama joins the Impact after spending the last seven seasons in the English Premier League, widely considered the best football league in the entire world. The new Designated Player’s mentality is exactly what the Montreal head coach is looking to slowly instill within his squad, and Wanyama’s addition will help him do just that.
As for what he can bring on the field, only time will tell, although we’ve all seen what he can do in the past.
“We don’t know what he’ll do yet, but we’ll see what he gets on the field,” added Henry. “Everyone knows Victor from his time with Celtic, from when he was in Belgium, and from his time with the other team I won’t mention by name. He’s someone who’s strong in a duel, calm, that can balance a team defensively but from an offensive aspect as well.”
The team he’s referring to, of course, is Tottenham, an old Arsenal rival from way before Thierry Henry donned the Gunners’ jersey. The two had spoken before the signature, and as expressed by Wanyama, he believed in the coach and in the project being put in place.
Although Wanyama won’t travel with the team to Dallas, he will be eligible to play in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals, next Tuesday, March 10, against CD Olimpia at 8pm, at Olympic Stadium. Tickets are available here.
