Tottenham complete first signing of the summer as Victor Wanyama arrives from Southampton

Tottenham have confirmed their first signing of the summer with the capture of Victor Wanyama from Southampton. Mauricio Pochettino has been on his trail since last summer, and has finally convinced his former club to part with the powerful midfielder, who has agreed a five-year deal until 2021 with the north London club.

"We are delighted to announce that we have completed the transfer of Victor Wanyama from Southampton," read a statement on Tottenham's official site.

The Kenya international had confirmed his move earlier in the week when he spoke of his delight at passing his medical with Spurs. According to BBC Sport, Spurs paid £11m ($14.6m) to bring Wanyama to White Hart Lane, which is just under the £12m Southampton were demanding.

The Argentine manager is a big admirer of the midfielder and failed with a bid last summer after Southampton refused to sell since they had already lost Morgan Schneiderlin to Manchester United. Wanyama was brought to England by Pochettino when he took over at St Mary's after the Kenyan had impressed with Celtic in the Scottish Premier League.

The 24-year-old Kenyan midfielder, who made 97 appearances in all competitions for the Saints, has written a heartfelt letter to fans to thank them for the support during his three-year spell at St Mary's, while also thanking his teammates and all the staff at the club.

"I write to you with a heavy heart to announce that I will be leaving Southampton Football Club. As you can imagine it is very emotional for me to say goodbye to the club that gave me the chance to be the first Kenyan to play in Premier League," Wanyama wrote on his official site.

"Firstly, I would like to thank the most important part of every club, the fans. I want to reassure you that any "quotes" you have read about in the media before my move was announced are false. I would never disrespect you by talking to the media before I have talked to you guys.It took a while for me to win you all over but I can truly say that with your support and affection I have grown as a player and a person."

"You guys have always been there to lift us up when we were down, and to celebrate with us when we were playing well. I feel really proud that I got the opportunity to wear the Southampton shirt," he added.