Shaiboub: Yanga SC keen to sign free agent from rivals Simba SC

Young Africans (Yanga SC) have emerged as the favourites to sign winger Sharaf Shaiboub in this transfer window.

The South Sudanese player is a free agent since rivals Simba SC are yet to renew his contract which concluded at the end of June.

Goal now understands, Yanga officials have approached the player over a possible transfer before the current window closes down at the end of August.

“Before the player left Dar es Salaam, Yanga officials talked to him as they wanted to know if he can play for them, Yanga have also tabled an offer to the player and I think a process to sign him is underway,” the source, who did not want to be named told Goal.

Shaiboub’s playing time at Simba was affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic as he was held back home owing to the lockdown which was imposed by his country.

Simba struggled to secure the release of the player when the Mainland Premier League resumed on June 13 and hence by the time he was arriving in camp, Simba had already won the title and had four matches to play to end the season and which Shaiboub could not feature in.

Yanga are in a restructuring process having released 14 players and they have already signed seven among them defender Bakari Mwamnyeto from Coastal Union, Yassin Mustapha from Polisi Tanzania, Zawadi Mauya from Kagera Sugar, Abdallah Shaibu from LA Galaxy II, Waziri Junior from Mbao FC, Kibwana Shomari from Mtibwa Sugar and Farid Mussa from CD Tenerife in Spain.

On the foreign front, Yanga have been linked with Kenyans Jesse Were and John Makwatta, who play for Zesco United, Sven Yidah of Kariobangi Sharks, Erick Rutanga of Rayon Sports and Mukoko Tonombe of AS Vita Club from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Timu ya Wananchi had a disappointing campaign in the last season where they failed to reach the final of the FA Cup after losing to eventual winners and rivals Simba SC, and could only finish a distant second on the table.