Gor Mahia have officially unveiled goalkeeper Levis Opiyo ahead of the new season.
Opiyo has arrived at the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions from promoted side Nairobi City Stars and will be seen as a direct replacement for keeper Peter Odhiambo, who left K’Ogalo to sign for Wazito FC.
“Welcome to Gor Mahia Levis [Opiyo] from Nairobi City Stars,” Gor Mahia posted on their social media pages.
Gor Mahia are in a rebuilding process having lost key players, among them Joash Onyango to Simba SC, David Mapigano to Azam FC, Dickson Ambundo to Dodoma Jiji and Boniface Omondi to Wazito.
The mass exodus at the club had also threatened to take other players, including captain Kenneth Muguna, defender Charles Momanyi, Jackson Owusu and Lawrence Juma.
Gor Mahia have now moved to sign five players already – Andrew Juma from Mathare United, midfielder Sydney Ochieng from Western Stima, striker Tito Okello from Uganda champions Vipers SC and John Macharia, who was playing in Georgia.
On Sunday, Gor Mahia confirmed they had turned down an offer from TP Mazembe to sign their captain Muguna, who is also a target for Petro Atletico of Angola.
Goal understands the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) giants have on two occasions tabled a bid to acquire the services of the midfielder, who has 18 months still remaining on his contract.
However, the offer from Mazembe was turned down by K’Ogalo, who have vowed to keep their best players after a recent exodus had threatened to derail their quest to defend the KPL title and do well in the Caf Champions League.
“It is true they [Mazembe] have come to us twice seeking the services of Muguna but we have told them we are not interested to listen to the offer they are tabling,” a source, who did not want to be named, told Goal on Sunday.
“We have already lost enough players and cannot afford to lose more players, we also have to keep our best players and Muguna is part of the coach’s plans for the new season, we don’t want to listen to them [even if they give us good money], we are not ready to lose more players now.”
Gor Mahia will carry Kenya’s Caf Champions League flag by virtue of being declared the KPL champions in the last campaign.
