admin
Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
ON June 21, 2019, Marvelous Nakamba and Alec Mudimu were key men in the Warriors side that lined up for the African Cup of Nations football finals opener against Egypt before a packed Cairo International Stadium in Egypt.
Nakamba was just 25 with a beckoning move to Aston Villa making him the star attraction in front of the 73 299 spectators who turned the giant venue into euphoria on a chilly night.
He was still in the books of Club Brugge in Belgium while his US$12 million transfer fee was being negotiated.
And for more reasons, he was expected to be best even the team’s poster boy Khama Billiat and captain Knowledge Musona during that competition.
Mudimu, on the other hand, was making his debut at the prime continental tournament, having been brought into the Warriors fold by a group of passionate yet over ambitious fans who have grown to believe any player who plies their trade in Europe even if that player is called Adam Chicksen or Jonah Fabisch can perform well for this country.
Mudimu, who partnered Teenage Hadebe at the heart of defence throughout the tournament, and Nakamba had some decent showing.
The 27-year old Mudimu was playing for Cefn Druids in the Welsh league and he showed so much potential during the tournament as he had done in the qualifiers.
Nakamba would perform well in his maiden season in the English Premier League even attracting the interest of some clubs, including Crystal Palace.
In fact, the Hwange-born midfielder has been a fairly important figure at Aston Villa until recently when coach Steven Gerrard revealed plans to sell him.
Nakamba didn’t secure a move away from Villa Park by deadline day on September 1 when it became apparent he was not going to play any major role at the club.
Although there were reports Villa bosses wanted him at the team, the coming in of Leander Dendoncker, who arrived hours before the deadline closed, further pushed him down the pecking order.
Douglas Luiz didn’t leave as was widely expected, further shrinking Nakamba’s chances of not only playing but making the squad.
Already the Zimbabwean has failed to make the cut for match-day squad in four of the six league matches and the only EFL Cup played so far.
Nakamba was on the sidelines in the matches against Bournemouth, Everton, Arsenal and Manchester City while he was an unused substitute in the games against West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
And yesterday, the Birmingham Mail reported Nakamba was one of the several players left on the fringes after Villa snapped up two players on deadline day.
The Zimbabwean could be shipped out in the next transfer window in January 2023.
“Aston Villa snapped up two players on transfer deadline day but there is still time for several players on the fringes of the squad to seal moves away from B6.
“Jan Bednarek and Leander Dendoncker at Villa Park with just hours remaining in the transfer window. Those deals took Villa’s number of new signings up to seven, with Bednarek providing cover for the injured Diego Carlos and Dendoncker boosting Steven Gerrad’s midfield options.
Both Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet sealed switches to Istanbul Basaksehir and Trabzonspor respectively and the transfer window in Turkey remains open until September 8. Other countries that are still open for business include Czech Republic (September 8), Greece (September 15) and Portugal (September 22),” wrote Birmingham Mail.
“Marvelous Nakamba is another player that has seen his playing time diminish following an injury in December 2021. The defensive midfielder played a key role in Gerrard’s first few games in charge but has subsequently been replaced by Boubacar Kamara this summer and is yet to feature this season, with Dendoncker also able to play in his role.
Discussing both Sanson and Nakamba’s situations after last Thursday’s deadline Gerrard said: “There are obviously a few players who I assume would have liked, or had the opportunity to go elsewhere, like Morgan Sanson, or Nakamba for example. It is important I have a chat with all these players face-to-face. But they are very much human beings with feelings.
“You have to understand everyone’s situation. That is the issue the window brings for a lot of managers and a lot of clubs, when it is five or six games into a season. This is the reason I think collectively managers would like it to finish before the first game of the season because it can affect how people feel at different times.”
While Nakamba remains on the edge at Villa, Mudimu is club-less with no team inquiring about his situation, at least for now.
The defender was last contracted to English lower league side Altrincham until September 1.
He had been released at Georgian side Torpedo Kutaisi, the club he was playing for when he joined the Warriors at the AFCON in Cameroon this year.
He is one of the three players along with David Moyo and goalkeeper Martin Mapisa who didn’t play any minute at the tournament.
A source close to Mudimu told The Herald from the UK yesterday that the defender is still clubless “and is just training with a lower division club in Wales (to keep fit) but I think, maybe, he is now waiting to get a new club during the January (2023) transfer window”.
Online Reporter