No excitement in transfer window

The 2016/17 beMOBILE premiership transfer window officially closed last week and   it was hardly the so-called ‘silly season.’

Lately local back page headlines have not been dominated by the movement, signing or transfer of players. Instead the focus was rather on the crisis at the Botswana Football Association (BFA) and Botswana Premier League (BPL) who recently announced further delays to the start of the new season. 

However, the confirmed transfer list from the BPL indicates that league teams have not gone on spending sprees but kept their wallets tightly closed. The two teams that have signed most players are top three finishers and 2015/16 Mascom Top 8 champions Orapa United followed by the newly promoted Mahalapye Hotspurs.

Both teams have signed a total of 13 players. Orapa has signed most of its players from development structures. The two teams are followed by Selibe Phikwe’s Nico United with 12 signings, Green Lovers with 11 signings as well as Extension Gunners and Sankoyo Bush Bucks with 10 signings each.

The rest of the teams are on single digit regarding the players they have acquired. Surprisingly the big spending Township Rollers have decided to sign only five players. However, Rollers gave stuck to their trend of recruiting established players including the red-hot Lemponye Tshireletso, Ntesang Simanyana, Mosha Gaolaolwe and Kekaetswe Moloi.

On the other hand, Mochudi Centre Chiefs chose to run with experienced warhorses Noah Maphosa, Phenyo Mongala and Jerome Ramatlhakwana as part of their seven signings. However, it will be the two Debswana mining company backed teams that   will be expected to pose a threat in this year’s title race. Orapa’s Madinda Ndlovu made some significant signings to bolster his formidable squad.

The Ostriches have signed Omaatla Kebatho from (Vasco da Gama), Kemmy Pilato and Kobamelo Kebaikanye (Rollers). Meanwhile Jwaneng Galaxy caught themselves big fishes including sensational striker Thabang Sesinyi, the experienced Sekhana ‘Nandos’ Koko and Gaopatwe Seosenyeng from crosstown rivals Gaborone United.

Another likely dark horse is the unpredictable Gilport Lions. The Gaborone outfit managed to snatch some big names and experienced players like Ofentse Mmipi, Patrick Kaunda and Topo Piet.

Meanwhile Institutional outfits like BDF XI and Police XI have been flying under the radar and barely making noise on big name signings. Among their five signings, they chose to sign a number of players from neighbouring Zimbabwe while BDF preferred to recruit from the domestic league.