The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Reporter
SEVERAL Premiership clubs, including one of the big three, are battling to secure the services of the young Eastern Region 2018 Player of the Season Nyasha Chintuli.
Apart from Premiership-bound Manica Diamonds, Harare giants CAPS United, army outfit Black Rhinos, Gweru airmen Chapungu and high ridding lowveld outfit Triangle are stampeding to secure the services of the promising player.
The 23-year old forward, who is gifted with pace, an eye for goal, deft touches and a mesmerising dribbling aptitude, was the main reason behind correctional services outfit Tenax fine run as he provided the much needed cutting edge by scoring crucial goals that saw the prison side maintaining the pressure on eventual league champions Manica Diamonds.
Just as his club maintained pressure on Manica Diamonds in the race for the league title, Chintuli gave a good account of himself as he also kept experienced forward Stephen ‘Dealer’ Sibanda under pressure in the race for the league Golden Boot award.
The free scoring forward, who banged a total of 18 goals out of the 30 matches he featured for Tenax in the just ended season, confirmed that a number of Premiership clubs are hunting for his signature.
He said he stands guided by his management team at the correctional services side.
“Yes, there is a number of clubs that expressed interest in signing me. I am happy that this is in recognition of the hard work that I have put into my game. It is every player’s dream to play at the highest level and I am no exception.
“However, there is really nothing I can say about my next move given that I am tied to Tenax.
“They are my employers and they are the ones that will make the final decision on my next move. I will abide by that,” he said.
Tenax secretary general Elisha ‘Sugar Sugar’ Chirashanye also confirmed that there is huge interest in the services of the young player.
“It is true that several Premiership clubs have expressed interest in securing the services of Nyasha Chintuli.
“He is such a good player, an asset in the team and we are not surprised in the interest he has generated among Premiership clubs.
“We do not stand in the way of any player who wants to develop their career hence we will do the best to help him make the right decision. We only want proper professional procedures to be followed in the player transfer systems,” said Chirashanye.
Chintuli was born and raised in the Muchena and Maonde sections of Sakubva and started falling in love with the game of football at a tender age of eight at Sakubva Primary, where his talent was identified by veteran Mutare junior football coach Timothy ‘Sicho’ Masachi.
Masachi nurtured the youngster’s talent at the famed La Sakubva Academy from primary school up to his teens when he enrolled at Sakubva High, Herentals College and eventually Mutare Boys High where he repeated his Form Four studies.
Chintuli won the Zifa Eastern Region Player of the Season award for 2018 ahead of Manica Diamond’s duo of free scoring Sibanda and goalkeeper Jorum Muchambo, who settled for first and second runner up, respectively.
