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Sports Reporter
CAPS United have flexed their muscle and acquired former inspirational skipper Method Mwanjali, while also signing highly-rated Zimbabwe international defender Justice Jangano.
The Green Machine also intend to complete the signing of Simba Nhivi from rivals Dynamos as soon as possible after the striker officially advised the Glamour Boys yesterday that he intends to move from the champions.
Nhivi waved goodbye to his coaches and teammates at their training session this week and is now focused on retracing his footsteps back to Caps United where he made a big impression in his first stint at the Green Machine.
Caps United have already secured Zambian defender Michael Mwelu and recruited tricky Harare City midfielder Phineas Bhamusi.
Mwanjali, who left the Green Machine six years ago, returns to his old club after half-a-dozen years in South Africa.
He has always made it clear that it was his intention to end his career at Caps United and his return is being greeted as a major boost for the Green Machine who believe his leadership qualities in defence and midfield will come in handy in the second half of the season.
The Harare giants have not won the league title since 2005 and their campaign appeared in chaos earlier this year as players revolted against the leadership amid serious financial challenges at the club.
They donated three points to How Mine in Bulawayo when the players refused to take to the field, while they were also hammered in Triangle after problems erupted in their camp on the eve of the trip to the Lowveld.
However, things have changed since Harare businessman Farai Jere acquired majority shareholding in the club after structuring a deal with his partner Twine Phiri in which they converted debt into equity.
Jere now holds 80 percent shareholding in Caps United, while Phiri, who is the Premier Soccer League chairman, has the other 20 percent stake.
Last night, Jere told The Herald that the Caps United board has completed negotiations with Mwanjali for the former Warriors skipper to return to the club, while Jangano will now join them from Gunners.
Jangano’s stock has been rising since Warriors coach Callisto Pasuwa thrust him into his first team in a Nations Cup qualifier against Malawi in Blantyre, which Zimbabwe won 2-1.
He has been to South Africa on trials, but Caps United have snatched him, seven months after the tough defender arrived at the Green Machine and then left unceremoniously when the Harare giants failed to meet the transfer fee demanded by his club Gunners.
“Method is coming back home and that’s big news for us at Caps United and we are all thrilled that he has agreed to return and play for us because we believe that he is not only an exceptional player, but a very good leader, too,” said Jere.
“Big teams like Caps United always need big players, men with power and authority and we believe that we have been lacking such a commanding figure in the past few years and that is why we worked hard to ensure that he comes back home and we are all delighted that he has agreed to our terms.
“Method was our leader when he was here and he knows the club inside out; he knows the fans and they love him, and we feel that he will bring leadership in our midfield and defence and that is why we are very excited.
“Our defence hasn’t been bad at all; we haven’t conceded a goal for a very long time and are happy that we are bringing in someone who will make us better and give a different touch because we are talking of a man who is very talented and experienced.
“Jangano is a rising player and we are happy that he has agreed to join us. He brings that steel that we believe will be crucial in the second half of the season and the fact that he has been playing for the national team says it all about his quality.
“We could have wanted to bring in more players to boost that department, but we are limited by the slots that we can fill and that is why we are right now working on getting Simba. Bhamusi has also come in and he can do a lot of things from midfield going forward.
“It’s an exciting time for us and we hope that brick by brick we are putting the foundation for a team that will be very competitive next year and which, in the second half of the season, will make its presence felt.
“We have an obligation to make his proud club great again and owe it to our fans who have been supportive of this team through the bad times that we have endured and we can tell them that we will not rest until we build a Caps United that will compete against the best in this country.”
Nhivi’s manager Gibson Mahachi said a deal for the striker to move to Caps United should be completed soon.
“We are still discussing with Dynamos for the release of Simba (Nhivi) so that he can join Caps United and they told us that they were meeting to deal with the issue,” said Mahachi.
“What we have done is that we have officially told Dynamos that the player wants to move and it is now up to them to make a decision and we expect something very soon.”
Online Reporter