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a matter of time before a flood of calls also come through for Denver Mukamba, the rising midfield magician who was the star of the Glamour Boys’ success story.
Keep a close eye, too, on the interest likely to be generated by Partson Jaure’s impressive debut show, in the heart of the DeMbare defence, where he was outstanding all season.
The captain, Tawanda Muparati, doesn’t generate a lot of headlines but his technique and energy in midfield, especially his box-to-box performance, is making him hot property among Super Diski scouts.
But it’s Mutuma, the gangly forward who was the hero of Dynamos’ triumph in the Mbada Diamonds Cup final with his double strike on Saturday, who has got the first call.
Interestingly, he is wanted by a South African team of the same name.
DeMbare beat Monomotapa 2-0 to seal their League and Cup double — the second successive season they have won the two biggest prizes on the Zimbabwean football scene.
Mutuma, who struggled at the beginning of the season after a dream debut year in the top-flight in which he finished as the Golden Boot winner, has been irresistible at the business end of the campaign.
He scored the goal that gave Dynamos the priceless point they needed, in their final league tie against Hardbody at Ascot, to successfully defend their Premiership title.
His two goals against Monomotapa meant that Mutuma has now scored three goals, in two big matches, which made a big difference for the Glamour Boys.
Mutuma also scored the only goal when Dynamos beat Motor Action 1-0 to win the Mbada Diamonds Cup final at the National Sports Stadium last year.
What this means is that only one man has scored in the two Mbada Diamonds Cup finals held so far — Mutuma.
Inevitably, Mutuma is now a wanted man in South Africa and his recent exploits have done nothing but enhance his reputation.
The striker has attracted interest from a club with the same name, Dynamos, in the South Africa’s National First Division.
Dynamos have been monitoring the striker since last year and, this time around, they are determined to bring him to the club.
Club general manager, July Malabela, told SuperSport that they want a striker of Mutuma’s calibre as they are looking to fight for promotion this season.
“We have wanted Rodreck since last year. We wanted Cuthbert Malajila but Maritzburg beat us to him and at that time Mutuma was on trials at Ajax Cape Town,” he said.
“Now we need a striker and we will be fighting to get him.
“We will be working to get him any time now as the league in Zimbabwe is finished now.
“We need him.”
Dynamos coach, Callisto Pasuwa, told The Herald on Sunday that he was preparing for the possibility of losing some of his key personnel during the off-season break.
The Glamour Boys lost inspirational ’keeper, Washington Arubi, who has turned into a star for his Super Diski club, Pretoria University, and striker Takesure Chinyama, midway during the season.
However, they were able to compete with midfielder Mukamba shouldering extra responsibilities on the field and delivering, with consistency, to help DeMbare defend their League and Cup crown.
Mukamba and Simba Sithole, who arrived at Dynamos in the closing stages of the season after being off-loaded by Mamelodi Sundowns, are some of the players targeted by South African teams.
Sithole made a huge impact in the few games that he played for the Glamour Boys.
Mukamba is believed to have caught the interests of South African champions, Orlando Pirates, who have already checked on his availability.
The Buccaneers believe the attacking midfielder, who can also play the role of playmaker, can bring a different dimension to their play.
Pirates have been angling for a deal to bring Zambian midfielder Rainford Kalaba to South Africa from the DRC where he plays for wealthy Lubumbashi club, TP Mazembe.
But the Congolese giants have said Kalaba is not for sale, especially to African clubs, and Pirates believe Mukamba could be a worthy, if not better, replacement for the Zambian.
Crucially, Mukamba is on loan at Dynamos as his rights are held by Division One side, DC Academy, a franchise owned by Zimbabwe international defender Dickson Choto.
“There has been contact between Pirates and officials in Zimbabwe regarding the possibility of Denver being transferred to the South African football champions,” said the sources.
“It’s still at preliminary stage level but in football, especially when it’s off-season, things can move rapidly.
“Pirates have been monitoring Denver and are impressed by the reports they keep getting and they have also been impressed with the way Takesure (Chinyama) is now fitting into the system.
“They believe they need to invest in some young forwards, especially given that their forward line-up has a number of players who are past the 30-year mark or approaching that mark.
“So, it’s likely to be an interesting off-season for you guys because, with some of your big games on SuperSport now, it’s easy for foreign teams to make up their minds on a certain player.”
They must have probably noticed Mukamba’s genius, especially in the way he set up the first goal for his club on Saturday.
He let the ball drift towards his right leg, while facing the opposite side of the goal they were attacking and standing close to the byline and then, at the very last minute, just heeling it into the path of Ocean Mushure.
In that moment of magic, he sold a dummy to two Monomotapa defenders, leaving them confused by such artistry, and Mushure galloped clear to provide a beauty of a cross that was converted by Mutuma.
Pasuwa revealed on Sunday there was a real possibility some of the stars of his triumphant campaign could be lured elsewhere.
“Some of the players have their managers who would be looking for contracts outside and we cannot really stand in their way,” Pasuwa said.
And he appeared resigned to losing Mukamba, the magician who was at the heart of his team’s success story.
“We have players like Tichaona Mabvura and Wonder (Sithole) who can play on the left side of midfield (the position that Mukamba plays at DeMbare),” said Pasuwa.
“Wonder is now fit and we could be registering him next season, he wasn’t registered but has been training with us and has fully recovered.
“We would want to boost our defensive link as well as the central midfield and, maybe, add two strikers but that will depend on which players are leaving the club.
“We don’t want to start preparing for Africa when it is too late because if you look at clubs such as those in Tunisia, they are already preparing for next year’s matches and doing everything in time.” — Senior Sports Editor/SuperSport.
Online Reporter