Knox relishes European dance

By Ricky Zililo

Golden Arrows forward Knox Mutizwa has instructed his handlers to prioritise European offers as he angles for a move away from the South African Premiership.

The former Bosso forward finished the 2019/20 season on 13 goals, three shy of Frank Hellings “Gabadinho” Mhango of Orlando Pirates and Peter Shalulile of Highlands Park, who bagged 16 goals apiece to share the golden boot award.

Mutizwa is tied on 13 goals with Cape Town City’s Kermit Erasmus, Bongi Ntuli of AmaZulu and Kaizer Chiefs’ Sami Nurkovic.

According to some local media reports, Mutizwa has already turned down a lucrative move to Sudan.

In an interview from his Durban base yesterday, Mutizwa said he had told his management to consider European offers ahead of interest generated by other South African top clubs.

The 26-year-old striker declined to reveal the names of European and South African clubs that are interested in his services.

“My wish when I was growing up was to play in Europe and that is the dream that I’m still pursuing. I think it’s now time for me to consider moving to Europe having spent four years here in South Africa. It’s my dream to play in Europe and I’ve had discussions with my management and said let us first consider the offer from Europe,” Mutizwa said.

The national team fringe striker moved to South Africa in 2016 to join Bidvest Wits before being loaned out to Durban-based Golden Arrows where he his game has developed tremendously.

At Golden Arrows, Mutizwa is with fellow Zimbabwean players Divine Lunga and Danny Phiri, who all command regular starting places.

Mutizwa believes moving to Europe will also enhance his chances of being a regular national team player.

With the Warriors set to return to action in November, Mutizwa’s impressive statistics could see him making a strong claim to lead the national team attack.

Zimbabwe is set to clash with defending champions Algeria in back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers between November 9 and 17. The Warriors will travel to North Africa for the first match before hosting the reverse fixture a few days later.

“If I go to Europe I know that my game will greatly improve as I will learn a lot that side. After that, I would want to bring back what I learnt to the national team and effectively compete to become a regular starter in the Warriors. Competition in the national team is very stiff because we have a number of deadly strikers. I therefore have to work very hard to be considered,” said Mutizwa.

Experienced strikers ahead of Mutizwa in the national team packing order are France-based Tino Kadewere and captain Knowledge Musona, who plies his trade in Belgium. Macauley Bonne, who plays in England’s second tier championship, could also be considered ahead of Mutizwa if he is available for selection. The Chronicle