In a bid to leave no stone unturned ahead of the forthcoming season, Vipers Sports Club have been busy in the transfer market and have the evidence to justify their cause.
Disan Galiwango (Express FC), Ibrahim Orit (Mbarara City FC) and Jamil Kalisa (Bright Stars FC) have already put pen to paper for varying contracts.
But the local media continues to be awash with reports linking several other players to the newly crowned StarTimes Uganda Premier League (SUPL) champions.
And there is no denying that squad depth is vital for any side with ambitions of either winning or more so retaining the title. Gaffer Fred Kajoba has however insisted that balancing the squad remains his top priority.
Speaking to the club media regarding the transfers’ rumour-mill, Kajoba assured Vipers’ faithful how their strategy is moving on well as per the agreed plans.
“To be honest, we are not interested in opinions from outside. All our signings where agreed upon a couple of months ago after identifying the areas where we lacked and needed to recruit,” said Kajoba with an assured tone.
“It’s now six months since I came here therefore I have a clear picture on how best to improve this squad. I know the players to keep, the ones to send on loan and those to be released.”
Contract renewals task
As new arrivals emerge, the club is also in negotiations with other key players within the current squad for contract renewals and Kajoba believes their plans are on track.
“Vipers recruited massively in the out-going season hence there is no need for such kind of business right now. We are only targeting one or two more signings and we shall then close that chapter,” Kajoba put the lid on talk that the club was looking at a massive overhaul.
“We already have a strong squad but our target is to balance all departments to favourably compete on the various fronts. In that regard, key decisions are to be made in shaping the squad and we’re up to the task,” Kajoba assured.
Vipers conveyor belt the St Mary’s Kitende Youth Team is also not spared in the tactician’s plans as he eyes promoting a sizeable number of rookies to the senior squad.
“The emergence of Karim Watambala, Aziz Kayondo, Ahmed Amayo, Jacob Okao, and Bobos Byaruhanga clearly shows the importance of the club’s youth structure,” revealed Kajoba.
“Others like Musa Ssali, Umar Kyebatala, Najib Yiga, Richard Basangwa and Ivan Ashaba also look ripe for the big stage. So we expect promotions within that area,” asserted the gaffer, who is also a mainstay in the Uganda Cranes coaching set-up.
With that in mind, Vipers technical team have key decisions to make as the Venoms prepare to defend their league as well as build a competitive squad which will bring smiles on the fans faces for the entire season.
VIPERS IN THE TRANFER MARKET
Disan Galiwango (From Express) 4 years.
Ibrahim Orit (From Mbarara City) 3 years
Jamil Kalisa (From Bright Stars) 4 years
Copyright 2020 Vipers Sports Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.viperssc.co.ug as the source.