DYNAMOS striker Christian Ntouba has started trials with South African side Bidvest Wits University as he edges closer to leaving the Harare football giants.
BY HENRY MHARA
The Cameroonian arrived in South Africa on Friday from Yaoundé where he had gone for the Christmas holidays, and pictures of him training with the South African Premiership champions emerged the following day.
His manager Gilbert Sengwe confirmed to NewsDaySport that Ntouba was currently training with the club with the hope to impress and sign a contract.
Ntouba was due to feature for Wits in a friendly match yesterday, where the team’s technical department were expected to make a decision.
The player, who still has one year left on his contract, was granted permission by his club Dynamos to look for another team, following an impressive debut season for the Glamour Boys.
While it appears Bidvest are leading the race for Ntouba’s signature after inviting him for trials, reports in South Africa last week suggested that fellow Premiership side Orlando Pirates were ready to hijack the deal and snatch the highly-rated striker away.
Ajax Cape Town were the first to show interest in the player during the summer transfer window who managed to convince the striker but could not agree on a figure with Dynamos. It was Polokwane City though who went close to snapping Ntouba last month, after agreeing terms with Dynamos, but the deal could not go through after failing to agree personal terms with the player.
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The Limpopo side has since settled for Caps United’s Dominic Chungwa, who they reportedly gave a three-year contract.
It appears Ntouba and his handlers are holding for the utmost deal with other reports suggesting two European clubs — one from Belgium and the other from Germany — are also monitoring the situation with a keen eye, developments that would excite Dynamos, who would also want to take advantage of the frenzied interest to cash in.
The Harare giants have put a $200 000 (R2,7 million) price tag on Ntouba’s head and Polokwane had, according to Dynamos chairman Keni Mubaiwa, agreed to pay, but then failed to agree personal terms with Ntouba, and the deal failed to materialise.
Ntouba netted 12 goals for the Glamour Boys, who were pipped by champions FC Platinum by just two points.
He joined Dynamos at the start of the season as part of coach Lloyd Mutasa’s rebuilding exercise and made his debut in April, where he lit the campaign with some spectacular goals and impressive performances that saw him being voted as one of the Premiership’s 11 best players of the season.
By July, Ajax Cape Town had already started knocking on the DeMbare door for the striker, but could not agree on a deal after the South African club’s representatives attempted to arm-twist DeMbare to cancel his contract without any payment being made.
Dynamos have already given up on retaining their most prized asset and are currently in the process of replacing him.
So charmed were the Harare giants by Ntouba who guided them to second position on the log, that they have reportedly tasked Sengwe to find them another Cameroonian as a replacement
