Nine-time Zambian Super League Champions Zesco United unveiled two players on six-month deals each on Thursday.
Mpho Mathekgane, a South African attacking midfielder, and Samuel Adeyemi, a Nigerian striker, are the latest additions to Zesco United’s squad as they look to win their 10th league title and return to continental football.
Mpho returns to the Zambian league for the second time after leaving Forest Rangers to join TS Galaxy last year. On the other hand, very little is known about the Nigerian striker’s football career.
The Ndola-based club lost one of their key players, Kelvin Mubanga Kampamba, to Libyan side Al Nasser, and the signing of Mpho appears to be a replacement for the Zambian international, who was instrumental in their season’s first half.
The South African midfielder has struggled to find his form, making only one appearance for the DSTV Premiership side.
Zesco United is currently leading the league table with 39 points from 20 matches played so far. They will face Mufulira Wanderers on Saturday in a Week 21 fixture.
Last month, the Eletricity men also signed Kenyan international, Jesse WERE from Kansanshi Dynamos.
The 34-year-old who holds the record for the most goals (100) scored by a foreign player at the club left Ndola to join Kansanshi Dynamos in January 2022, but his impact at the Solwezi-based club was less, with only 8 goals and 6 assists for the Mabanga Boys in the 2022–21 season.
However, multiple fans have taken to social media to express their feelings about Zesco’s recent signings.
What are the Zesco fans saying ?
Mufwambi Lisimba, reacted via the Zesco Facebook page, “Mpho is very much slow and he is finished please.”
Another fan, Mwenda Mupunga wrote, “Just hope this Nigerian will not disappoint us coz our expectations are high. I hope te pulanga (flop).
Alex Tembo also stated that “The string of international signings that have flopped recently at this team is alarming.” while Jonathan Kambwenji Phiri belives “Zesco keeps bringing overrated Nigerians in ZSL.”
Jay Vuto Banda said, “Zesco is the only club that signs players without a program with them apart from paying them for free.”
