By Ricky Zililo
Highlanders returned from a five-day pre-season camp held in Polokwane, South Africa, yesterday and coach Erol Akbay has expressed his desire to sign Young Warriors and Bantu Rovers’ midfielder Denzel Khumalo.
The 18-year-old midfielder impressed the Bosso gaffer during the three training games Highlanders played in Polokwane.
Bosso drew 1-1 against First Division side Amagesi before losing 1-2 to Polokwane City and being drubbed 0-6 by FC Baroka.
“Last week when I arrived I said I want to see the player (Khumalo) first and I like what I saw during our trip. He is a fantastic player, someone I want in our team because he sticks to basics. I think he will add value to our team,” said Akbay.
A move to Bosso will be a dream move for Khumalo.
The deal to bring Khumalo to Bosso will see the midfielder swapping with striker MacCathy Dube, who is also a national Under-20 player.
Khumalo, who inspired Zimbabwe to a gold medal at the African Union Sports Council Region Five Under-20 Games held in Angola in December, has been training with Highlanders since last month.
Besides Khumalo, Akbay is also keen on adding a striker to his squad.
There are reports that ex-Dynamos forward Rodrick Mutuma and former Hwange and Harare City striker Francesco Zvekumbawire are on their way to Bosso.
On Mutuma and Zvekumbawire, Akbay said: “I saw Mutuma a few hours before our departure for South Africa. I want a striker and I’ve been reading about the two strikers (Mutuma and Zvekumbawire). I will meet the club officials and hear about the two strikers this week.”
Should Bosso land Mutuma and Zvekumbawire, the duo will compete for starting places against veteran Ralph Matema, 2016 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Rookie of the Year Prince Dube, Gabriel Nyoni and Nhlanhla Ndlovu.
Stiff competition for striking positions could push Bosso forwards to work on increasing their scoring ratio.
In the three games they played in Polokwane, the only striker to score was Nyoni in the 1-2 loss to Polokwane City, with defender Tendai Ngulube scoring in the 1-1 draw against Amagesi.
Despite his team failing to win in Polokwane, Akbay was happy with their performance.
“The trip was good in that the players got to be together so that they understand each other. The trip worked well for team spirit. Another good thing is that we played South African teams which gave our players an opportunity to know what kind of talent South Africa have.
“Another positive from the trip is that we still play good football and we created lots of chances. The reason we lost the third game (6-0 to Baroka) was that the players were too tired because of the intensity of the games as well as the weather, which was hot. Besides, I think we now know what to work on going forward,” Akbay said.
Highlanders’ next pre-season game will be against FC Platinum in the semi-finals of the ZNA Charity Shield on February 26. The Chronicle
