No Mukamba deal yet

Mukamba has been at Wits for the last two weeks as his management team and the Johanneburg thrash out a deal for his transfer.
The lanky Warriors midfielder even played 80 minutes for Wits in the inaugural Gauteng Cup in Atteridgevile, which his prospective new club lost to giants Kaizer Chiefs at the weekend.
But Mukamba is still to ink a deal with Wits amid revelations from his manager Gibson Mahachi last night that the club had delayed in finalising the move in order to resolve the issue of their foreign quota.
Mahachi said the Wits management had indicated to him that they have three foreigners including Mukamba but they only have two more slots remaining and their new coach Antonio Lopez Habas has to make a decision on whom to drop.
“I have been speaking to them particularly their chief executive Jose Ferreira and they have told me that they want Denver but they are stuck with three foreigners which is a guy from Botswana and another midfielder from Burundi.
“Denver played for them over the weekend and he had a good game and it seems the new coach also likes him but it appears the club management is now waiting for the coach to make a decision which of the players he wants.
“But I have asked them to let Denver come back home on Wednesday and resume training and playing for Dynamos while they make their final decision,’’ Mahachi said.
Mukamba is also reportedly itching to play in the famous Harare derby between Dynamos and CAPS United at Rufaro on Sunday.
Should he manage to return in time for the showdown with CAPS United, Mukamba would provide DeMbare coach Callisto Pasuwa with some respite as the Glamour Boys will take to the big battle without chief striker Takesure Chinyama who played his last match for Dynamos in the 1-1 draw against Highlanders at Barbourfields.
Mahachi also acknowledged that the change in the coaches at Wits could have also stalled the conclusion of Mukamba’s deal as the player agent had made some headway in his discussions with axed Clever Boys mentor Roger De Sa.
“It’s true we had reached an advanced stage of talks with Roger De Sa but I am not too sure with the new coach now so we will just get to hear of their final decision but I really do believe that they want him and if they didn’t want him they would not have been holding onto him up to now, they would have long asked him to come back,’’ Mahachi said.
Meanwhile, Ferreira , who won league titles in various roles at SuperSport United, and opted for Spaniard Habas as De Sa’s replacement also spoke to the Sowetan on Sunday about the Clever Boys ambitions..
“What we’re trying to achieve is to be competitive regularly,” Ferreira says. “Wits over the last few years would have a good season and then a bad season. We’ll make a few more signings still.”
Former Wits striker Calvin Kadi, who has opted not to return to Greece, trained with the Students this week.
Wits’ youngest signing is Malawian Robin Ngalande from Mamelodi Sundowns, and Ferreira is raving about the 19-year-old.
“He needs time. He’s been with Atletico Madrid, so he had a wealth of quality training and it shows in his play. In terms of natural talent I have seldom been so excited about a player,” Ferreira says.
Former Bafana Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena, whose clearance from Portsmouth came through this week after being delayed by a financial disagreement, is among a host of experienced signings including Tinashe Nengomasha, Thomas Sweswe and Matthew Pattison.
Combined with starlets Sibusiso Vilakazi, Asive Langwe and Ryan Chapman, Wits will put out one of their strongest squads in years.
Mokoena says with other established stars such as Mbulelo Mabizela, Stanton Fredericks and Emille Baron available, he sees “Wits pushing hard this season”.
But what attracted him to the club was their youth system.
“Sundowns, Chiefs, Pirates — if you want to talk money, they do have it. But the development structure and vision at Wits impressed me,” Mokoena says.
“Wits, along with my foundation, can help me with my future plans. I’m trying to establish my sport academy in Sedibeng in the Vaal.”
Mokoena is hoping to emulate the success of other players to have returned from Europe recently, such as Benni McCarthy and Siyabonga Nomvethe.
“I had offers from Qatar and China, but I wanted to come home to plough a bit back.”
One of Ferreira’s first actions was to fire De Sa last week, who had led the Students for five years.
“It became clear to me that Roger, myself and the club did not share the same vision on how we would go about achieving the mandate we’ve set ourselves,” Ferreira says, explaining De Sa’s dismissal publicly for the first time.
“It’s also important that there were a number of other reasons but that’s confidential and within the club.”
De Sa would have done himself no favours by being embroiled in an ugly SMS battle with an ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend, which has resulted in a court saga.
If De Sa’s dismissal raised eyebrows, then so would the hiring of Habas, who left Sundowns under a cloud of death threats from supporters in February last year.
Ferreira points out Habas has a wealth of experience, including coaching in Spain’s La Liga and leading the Bolivian national team to two Copa America tournaments.