By GILBERT WANDERA
It is the transfer period at the Kenyan Premier League ( KPL) once again and top coaches are already expressing concern over the possibility of?losing key players.
Stung by the loss of?influential midfielder Salim Kinje, who has moved to Simba in Tanzania, AFC Leopards have turned their eye on Tusker’s Paul Were.
Kinje has already agreed terms with the Tanzanian champions and is just awaiting clearance by Leopards before he moves to Dar-es-Saalam in a lucrative deal.
Tusker coach Sammy Omollo has admitted that Were has been approached by Leopards and what complicates matters for the brewers is the fact that the midfielder is owned by Fisa Academy.
“It will be scaring to lose a player of such calibre and because we do not own him directly, we just have to wait and see what happens,” he said.
Omollo is also worried that?Leopards have opted to speak to the player’s parents,? complicating matters even further for Tusker.
“When the parents come into the picture, it becomes more difficult. That is how we lost Moses Otieno to Gor Mahia at the beginning of the season,” he said.
But even as the club is pondering over the possibility of losing one of their key players, Omollo insisted that so far there are no plans to sign any new players.
He admitted that getting a topnotch striker would be a priority but pointed out that such a player will have to be exceptionally good to put on a Tusker jersey.
“We are good although the striking department was a major concern in the first leg. Even with this, I will not just sign any striker. They have to be exceptionally good to be considered,” he said.
Were has been terrific in the first leg, being named Man of the Match in two of the brewers’ fixtures. He ended the first leg with two goals, but was behind most of Tusker’s goals.
He proved a nightmare to defenders with his runs and dribbling abilities, which always set up strikers to tap home.
Last season, Were scored four goals for Tusker, but he looks set to do even better this season. He joined Tusker three years ago and has earned several call-ups to the national team Harambee Stars.
