daniel chigunwe
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CAPS United believe troubled midfielder Tanaka Shandirwa will be able to reinvent himself at the Green Machine after signing a pre-contract with the Green Machine who have already begun preparing for next season.
Club president Farai Jere revealed that the midfielder has agreed to a three-year deal.
Shandirwa’s next move was shrouded in uncertainty after falling out of favour at Dynamos where he was embroiled in disciplinary issues on and off the field.
But Jere believes that with good mentorship Shandirwa, who turns 25 in a fortnight, could easily rediscover his form and become one of the top players in the league again.
Jere has confidence Lloyd Chitembwe, who previously transformed difficult characters such as Joel Ngodzo, could give Shandirwa a new lease.
“He is a good player that you cannot take away from him,” Jere told Zimpapers Sports Hub. “He is a player that needs to be reoriented and I feel Lloyd (Chitembwe) is the right coach for him.
“It’s because Lloyd himself is a former midfielder and is good at instilling discipline in the players that he works with.
“We have a history of players that arrived at CAPS United with a bad boy tag but look at how players like Joel Ngodzo turned around their fortunes and became the league’s best player after joining us.
“Our football culture creates an environment that accommodates such players. At CAPS United we have our unique way of working on discipline and we also polish the positive side because most of these guys that are labelled bad boys are seriously talented.
“It’s an issue of trying to manage the talent. So, we always sit down and talk to these guys and let them know they are joining a big family. That’s our culture.”
Shandirwa has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons of late.
He reached the anti-climax of a challenging season last month when he was suspended by Dynamos following a series of problems with the club.
His loan stint with DeMbare is set to end next month and it looks there will be no love lost between the two parties.
He could become the latest player to cross the great divide in Harare to join DeMbare’s bitter crosstown rivals, CAPS United.
Despite his wayward behaviour, sources indicated Shandirwa was also targeted by newly promoted Premiership side Scottland as well as established clubs such as Highlanders, FC Platinum and 2024 champions Simba Bhora.
Online Reporter