Mid-season KPL deals: Teams sign up 79 players
AFC Leopards' winger Paul Were charges with the ball in 2013. PHOTO | FILE |
What you need to know:
- AFC Leopards, Mount Kenya United and Tusker FC were among the busiest clubs, bringing in seven new players.
- KCB and Mathare United didn’t make a single signing.
Kenya internationals Paul Were, David ‘Cheche’ Ochieng, Eugene Asike, and Ugandan Hashim Sempala are some of the big-name players acquired by SportPesa Premier League teams in the just-concluded mid-season transfer season.
By the time the window closed at midnight on Monday, 16 of the 18 teams had signed a total of 79 players, 14 of whom are foreign, in a bid to strengthen their squads ahead of the remaining part of the league campaign where teams are expected to play an average two games every week.
AFC Leopards, Mount Kenya United and Tusker FC were among the busiest clubs, bringing in seven new players.
KCB and Mathare United didn’t make a single signing.
“I had challenges with my former club in Europe and that’s why I decided to come back home. It was an easy decision to make because as professional playing time is important. I’m hoping to meet my teammates and coach and thereafter help the team improve on its current standing,” said Were, who re-joined Leopards alongside Ochieng on initial three-month deals.
Were returns to Leopards five years after he quit to join South Africa’s top-tier side Amazulu, and after recently severing ties with Greek club Kayser Kyzylorda following a pay dispute.
Cheche also returned to the Kenyan league following spells in Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and the USA, while Asike re-unites with Tusker after short stints in Zambia and Sweden.
Sempala, meanwhile, stands out as Gor Mahia’s only signing. A defensive-minded midfielder with skills to boot, the Ugandan has been acquired by the Kenyan champions as a replacement for Humphrey Mieno, who quit the club to join Ethiopia’s Saint Georges earlier this year.
“He is an interesting player who can help us improve at the centre of the pack and also bring in different options in our defence and attack,” said Oktay.
Nigerian Alex Orotomal is also among three players signed by Bandari, while struggling Mount Kenya United acquired eight players from lower-tier league sides.
Meanwhile, Tusker has roped in Tanzanian David Tevelu from Kabwe Warriors in the Zambian league.
