Wanga to get Sh5m to play for Sudanese giants El Merreikh
AFC Leopards's Allan Wanga displays his KPL Player of the Month trophy at the Nyayo Stadium on March 11, 2012. Wanga on Thursday became the third east African footballer within a week to join the Sudan Premier League after completing a Sh10 million move to El Merreikh Omdurman. PHOTO / NATION
What you need to know:
- Sources say Wanga, who scored both goals in Kenya’s 2-0 victory over Sudan during the final of the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup last December in Nairobi, will pocket an annual salary of Sh5 million
Allan Wanga on Thursday became the third east African footballer within a week to join the Sudan Premier League after completing a Sh10 million move to El Merreikh Omdurman.
The Sudanese club jumped to the front of a congested queue to secure the services of the former AFC Leopards striker after outbidding South African sides SuperSport United and Bidvest Wits, alongside an unnamed Swiss club.
“This is officially a done deal. We have received $50,000 (Sh4.3 million) as transfer fee. That is $10,000 (Sh870,000) more than the South Africans were offering. Wanga has been a true servant of the club and we wish him all the best,” Leopards organizing secretary Timothy Lilumbi told Daily Nation Sport.
According to sources close to AFC Leopards, Wanga, who scored both goals in Kenya’s 2-0 victory over Sudan during the final of the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup last December in Nairobi, will pocket an annual salary of Sh5 million while another Sh1 million will be paid out to agents who brokered the deal.
Wanga joins Ugandan custodian Jamal Salim Magoola at the cash-rich Khartoum-based club, which boasts 19 league titles and 24 domestic cup honours.
Gor Mahia midfielder Anthony Akumu has also sealed a loan move to another Sudanese club, Khartoum National.
WANGA'S REPLACEMENT
“I can confirm the club executive has agreed to loan Akumu to Khartoum National for the second half of the season in line with our player development policy,” Gor Mahia secretary general Chris Omondi said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Gor’s forward Dan Sserunkuma heads a five-man shortlist drawn up by Leopards’ management as they search for Wanga’s replacement begins in earnest.
Also on the list, according to insiders, is a Tusker forward who finished last season at the top the scoring charts and another unnamed striker from Ugandan club Victoria University who impressed the team’s technical bench during the just concluded Cecafa Nile Basin Cup.
Wanga’s move will further validate the Kenyan Premier League’s inability to financially compete with their competitors on the continent.
Despite Sudan being ranked lower than Kenya in the Fifa rankings, El Merreikh lured Kenya’s top striker by offering him four times his monthly wage at Leopards.
