Premier League clubs begin chase for signatures

The silly season has just started in the Kenyan Premier League. The June transfer window opened on Monday and the 16 top tier clubs are expected to begin the chase for the league’s finest players.

While champions Gor Mahia appear set to retain their title, closest challengers Sofapaka, traditional rivals AFC Leopards and former winners Ulinzi and Tusker are not about to give up that easily.

At the other end of the table, Muhoroni Youth, Nakuru All Stars and Nairobi City Stars are desperately trying to stay afloat. Will acquisition of new players save them? A major rebuilding exercise is expected at 10-time champions Tusker, who have struggled to hit top form.

The brewers’ head coach, Francis Kimanzi, has already roped in free agent in former Sofapaka defender Eugene Asike after he fell out with his former employers and bigger names are expected to arrive at Ruaraka before the June 30 deadline.

Though on top of things, Gor’s technical bench is also toying with the idea of releasing at least three players and bringing in a few others to add more muscle to the team for a successful title defence and the forthcoming Cecafa Kagame Cup.

“There are a number of things we will have to consider, among them the foreign quarter in our team. We will make a decision after the Tusker game,” said a member of the backroom staff.

Leopards have blown hot and cold and the maverick coach Zdravko Logarusic is also expected to lure in a few players. It is however at Kawangware where the situation is in dire straits.

With just one win from 14 outings and just nine points earned  out of possible 42, City Stars coach, Paul Nkata, is expected to be busy in the transfer market to inject new talents that can help the club avoid relegation.

“We have a long way to go and a lot of work to do. Most of the players we have are not Premier League quality,” Nkata lamented in a recent interview.