Lennon slams Tan over Wanyama claims

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has criticised Cardiff owner Vincent Tan over claims that they refused to sell Victor Wanyama to the Welsh side.

Tan revealed earlier this week that the Premier League club had reached a £10million agreement with Celtic for the services of the Kenya international, who signed for Southampton earlier this month.

Tan indicated that Cardiff had been priced out of a move for the 22-year-old midfielder after the Scottish champions upped their asking price.

However, Lennon has rejected Tan’s suggestions, insisting that Southampton were the only club to make an acceptable offer for Wanyama.

“We totally disagree with what he (Tan) is saying publicly,” Lennon told WalesOnline.

“There was never a deal agreed with Cardiff, and there was never a price set for Victor.

“Southampton’s was the only confirmed offer we had, and it was considerably more than the figure Cardiff were talking about.

“It is frustrating if he is trying to give us a bad name in this deal because we acted as we always do, with the greatest professionalism and dignity towards ourselves and any other club.

“The bottom line was that Cardiff made an offer that was not up to the requirement of what we wanted.

“It was nowhere near the valuation of the player and nowhere near the structure of the deal that suited us. In the end, it was never going to happen.”