Victor Wanyama Narrowly Survives Compelled Transfer from Montreal Impact

• Wanyama survived an expansion draft as he was part of Montréal's unprotected players in the MLS expansion draft.
• An expansion draft occurs when the league requires teams to protect a certain number of players as the league creates one or more teams
• The former Harambee Stars man is among the 10 contracted players available for selection in the expansion draft but narrowly survived

Former Harambee Stars midfielder Victor Wanyama has narrowly survived an expansion draft in the Major League Soccer recently.

With the MLS offseason upon the players, teams are rebuilding ahead of the 2022 season, including the newcomers in the division.

MLS debutants Charlotte FC, being the newcomers, were expected to build out their expansion roaster through the MLS expansion draft on Tuesday, December 14.

The expansion draft is basically a primary tool new entrants into the MLS are accorded to assemble their roasters.

This gives them the opportunity to select from a list of available players from existing teams.

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However, MLS teams are allowed to have a squad of “protected players” who are not eligible for selection by Charlotte FC.

Wanyama, who is contracted at Montreal Impact until 2022, was among the 10 players who would have been pre-selected by Charlotte FC.

The other nine players were Breza Sebastian, Camacho Rudy, Johnsen Bjorn, Kizza Mustafa, Kone Ismael, Maciel Emanuel, Struna Aljaz, Tabla Ballou and Thorkelsson Robert.

TUKO.co.ke has learnt that Charlotte FC selected Orrin McKinze from Austin FC, Anton Walkes from Atlanta United, D.C. United’s Joseph Mora, Tristan Blackmon from Los Angeles FC and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi from the expansion draft.

Having survived the expansion draft, Wanyama will now focus on his club, who have their sights on the CONCACAF Champions League clash against Mexico's Santos Laguna.

Wanyama’s salary at Montreal Impact

At Montreal Impact, Wanyama is one of the best-paid players.

According to the salaries catalogue updated by the Major Soccer League) MLS Players Association on Thursday, October 21, Wanyama takes home a massive $200,000 (KSh 22,220,000) per month.

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To put the figures into more context, Wanyama rakes in $50,000 (KSh 5.5 million) per week and $2,400,000 (Ksh 266,640,000) annually.

His annual guaranteed compensation can reach up to $3,091,667 (Ksh343,484,000).