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Toby Alderweireld Excited by Wanyama’s Arrival to Tottenham

By Alexander Balano

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White Hart Lane on March 5, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White Hart Lane on March 5, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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It’s only been a week since Tottenham completed the signing of Victor Wanyama, but Toby Alderweireld is still excited by the Kenyan international’s arrival to north London.

There’s a reason to be optimistic about this upcoming season and although Tottenham have only signed one player this summer, Wanyama’s addition to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad is a sign that the bench will be much more improved to compete in all fronts.

Related Story: Pochettino: Wanyama Perfect Signing for Tottenham

Pochettino has already said that Victor Wanyama was the perfect signing for Tottenham and when you look at the position that the 25-year-old plays, his track record in the Premier League for the past three seasons, it’s no wonder why the Argentine manager made that claim.

A quick look at Wanyama’sTransfermarkt profile page over the last three years shows a durable player who has appeared in 97 games for three consecutive seasons in all competitions.

If you strictly look at the Premier League only, since 2013 when Wanyama first joined Southampton, the Kenyan midfielder made 23 appearances in his first year, 32 in his second and 30 last season.

Adding it all up, comes to 85 Premier League appearances and an average of around 28 games on a yearly basis. These are numbers that will help ease the workload that Eric Dier experienced this past term.

Especially with the amount of minutes that the England international has racked up by only missing a handful of games with Tottenham last year and with England during their European Championship campaign.

ENFIELD, ENGLAND - JUNE 21: Victor Wanyama poses at the Tottenham Hotspur FC training ground after signing on June 21, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
ENFIELD, ENGLAND – JUNE 21: Victor Wanyama poses at the Tottenham Hotspur FC training ground after signing on June 21, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images) /

Toby Alderweireld’s excitement with the signing of Victor Wanyama is a combination of things.

For starters, it begins with the team getting some much needed depth at a position that has needed it since last summer when Mauricio Pochettino purged both central and defensive midfield areas.

Secondly, with Tottenham being title contenders last season, they’re currently on the rise and signing a player who has been interested in them previously — while targeting others who want to join — shows that Spurs are finally able to compete with other top Premier League clubs for good players.

Last but certainly not least, Alderweireld has worked with Wanyama before, during their time with Southampton two years ago, and knows that the Kenyan international will bring his A-game to White Hart Lane once the season starts.

More from Hotspur HQ

In an interview with Spurs TV yesterday, Alderweireld talked about the Euros, his experience there, the match-up against Wales and then Spurs’ first summer signing, Victor Wanyama.

Here’s what the 27-year-old center-back had to say about his current Tottenham teammate.

"“He’s a wonderful person. He looks very strong and he’s a big man but he’s a very nice person – he’s the opposite of how he is on the pitch,” Toby Alderweireld said (via Tottenham’s official site).“I sent him a message to congratulate him, actually.”“I think he’s making the right move – Spurs are on the up, we’re in a good place, the new stadium is coming and we’re in the Champions League.”“He’s a very exciting signing for us and he’s a very good player.”"

The message Alderweireld sent — although brief — was just a quick congratulations and welcome to Spurs. More or less, after the Belgian defender was welcomed with open arms upon his arrival last summer, the same will happen to Victor Wanyama once he meets his new teammates ahead of pre-season training.

Next: Christian Eriksen on Tottenham's Champions League Return

"“I just said ‘congratulations and welcome to the Club’ and that I’m looking forward to seeing him.”“He congratulated me on the Hungary game as well and wished me luck for the Euros. It was just a short message, just a ‘welcome’ one.”“I know he will feel welcomed by the guys at the Club and his quality will shine through on the pitch as well.”"

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