Gor to release four ahead of new season

Gor Mahia fans will have to wait longer to know the players the 17-time Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions are planning to release and sign for the 2018-2019 season.

Apart from Ugandan international Shafiq Batambuze and Kenneth Muguna who were confirmed to join K’Ogalo on two and three-year contracts respectively, the other five prospective signings remain a top secret.

Club chairman Ambrose Rachier told Citizen Digital that the unveiling of new signings will be after the forthcoming Everton trip, saying they are still in the recruitment process.

While it is clear at least four players will be released and several others be sent on loans to other clubs to give room for new arrivals, Rachier acknowledges the Everton sojourn affects the transfer business for now.

‘’We cannot give the names of the players the coach (Dylan Kerr) has proposed to drop as at now. They are all in the list of players travelling to Everton and they will all have a role to play there,” said Rachier.

Rachier says they have decided to conceal the list saying even the unveiling of Muguna and Shafique was done hurriedly against his will.

Fresh additions

Meanwhile Gor first vice chairman John Pesa has hinted only four players will be dropped from the club.

Pesa further divulged of the players to be dropped, one has his contract ending before next season while the rest have requested to leave the club voluntarily.

‘’Some of them feel they rarely get a chance to play and have requested to be released to look for clubs they can feature for regularly. We cannot hold them when we cannot guarantee playtime,” he noted.

Pesa says Gor, which had a composition of 27 players before the recruitment of Muguna and Batambuze, will reduce the number to 23, giving space for seven fresh additions.

The total number of foreign players in Gor will be four with the local giants looking forward to signing a defensive midfielder, a striker, a left forward, a central defender and a left full-back.

The total number of local players will be 25, leaving space for one foreign slot should there be need to make it a full house of 30.

This means after dropping four players, the club will have a total of five new slots to fill having brought in two already, and this, the vice chair says will depend on the club’s financial ability.