Financial problems affect clubs’ transfer spending

Tough economic times have not spared the transfer market as Super League giants have admitted that they were forced to settle for low-profile players, most of them free agents from lower leagues.

As the transfer window closed a week ago, only three high profile transfers had been concluded. Free agent Lucky Malata, formerly of Silver Strikers, and Yamikani Chester from Azam Tigers, joined Be Forward Wanderers while Chimango Kayira returned to Nyasa Big Bullets.

Silver Strikers’ notable signings are PremierBet Wizards captain Trevor Kalema, Junior Flames forward Frank Chizuze, defender Hadji Wali, Karonga United star Hygiene Mwandepeka, Ghanaian forward Mike Tette and Nigerian defender Yinusa Olanrewaju.

In contrast, the 2016 January transfer window saw heavy traffic of well known players. Wanderers last season signed high-profile players such as Nigerian Amos Bello, Peter Wadabwa, Joseph Kamwendo, Jimmy Zakazaka, Rafik Namwera and Foster Namwera but this time around, it is only free agents Malata and Chester.

While refusing to disclose how much they have spent on the transfer market this year, Wanderers general secretary Mike Butao said it is not much as compared to last season.

“We don’t talk about cash, but we have only signed two players Malata and Chester as full seniors alongside Precious Sambani and Francisco Madinga as semi-seniors,” Butao said.

 “We have mostly opted for free agents and low-profile players because they are cheaper in the face of economic hardships the country is going through. Transfer fee plus signing on fee for a single good player these days comes to between K7 million and K10 million.

So, finding some good players that you can rope in as free agents was the best way to go as we run on a tight budget.”

 On his part, Big Bullets general secretary Albert Chimgoga said they have signed Kayira, Labson Chiyenda, Bright Munthali and Benard Chimaimba not necessarily due to their status as free agents but because they were the players they needed.

“In these hard economic times, we thought it would be better to balance our needs with our expenditure plan. Mind you, the players we have signed from lower leagues are even better than the so-called big names from other super league clubs,” Chimgoga said.

Silver general secretary Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda said they have realised that not all that glitters is gold.

“It is also important to note that extravagance on the purchase of high-profile players does not yield success for our club,” he said.

He added that they wanted the club to have a good number of young players who can sta together for a long time to gel and win more trophies over time.

Soccer analysts George Kaudza Masina and Charles Nyirenda said it is good that the clubs have realised that football success does not depend on big names.

“Buying high-profile players does not always translate to success. Last season, Wanderers led the high-profile player purchase but that did not translate to success in the league as they settled for a sixth place,” Kaudza Masina said.

Nyirenda said: “These three giants might have discovered that names, per se, don’t perform and as such they opted for prudence. Moreover, they could not go for big names as they already had deep squads and they were just beefing them up.”