Football is a funny sport and sometimes players get stuck in a place and the only thing that can help is move away from a familia place.
Who remembers Mohamed Salah at Chelsea? In 2014, the Egyptian joined Chelsea for a reported fee of £11 million, but limited gametime led to successive loans to Fiorentina and Roma, who later signed him permanently for €15 million.
In the 2016–17 season, Salah was a key figure in Roma’s unsuccessful title bid, reaching double figures in both goals and assists.
In 2017, Salah moved to Liverpool for £36.9 million, a club record at the time. In his first season, he set the record for most Premier League goals scored (32) in a 38-game season and helped Liverpool to the 2018 UEFA Champions League final.
Kevin De Bruyne also has a similar story, In 2012, he joined English club Chelsea, where he was used sparingly and then loaned to Werder Bremen.
He signed with Wolfsburg for £18 million in 2014, establishing himself as one of the best players in the Bundesliga and was integral in the club’s 2014–15 DFB-Pokal win.
In the summer of 2015, De Bruyne joined Manchester City for a then-club record £54 million. He has since won the UEFA Champions League, six Premier League titles, five League Cups and two FA Cups with the club.
What’s the point of all this, Patrick Gondwe, a talented midfielder at Nkana has had his career stagnate for one reason or another despite showing massive potential from the onset.
Earlier today, Zambian football transfer expert, Wami Katanga revealed that Kansanshi Dynamos are plotting to make an ambitious move to sign the former Zambia U20 National Team midfielder.
Gondwe has been in and out of the Nkana set-up this season and Kansanshi are planning to tempt with an offer as they return to the Super League next season.
Just maybe this would be a chance for him to revive his career and reclaim his status as one of the best players in the league, a place he was headed for as far back as 2019.
GONDWE’S RISE
Gondwe came to prominence in 2019 when he helped Zambia to win its eleventh U20 COSAFA Championship scoring two goals and being involved in most of the Zambia attacks throughout the tournament.
The then Young Nkana player was named as the player of the Tournament at the COSAFA U20 Championship held in Lusaka.
A then 17 year old Gondwe would go on to do an eight day trial with Spanish side CD Numancia who at the time were competing in the prestigious LaLiga Smartbank Spain’s second division, second only to the exalted LaLiga Santander.
This was a result of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) forging a partnership with the Spanish football league, LaLiga, for the 2019 COSAFA Under-20 Youth Championship.
In January 2020, Gondwe was named as the Young Sportsman of the year at the National Sports Council of Zambia Awards.
Despite all this promise, Gondwe has not just become Nkana’s main man, something most pundits thought was definitely what he was destined for.
A move away from Chilata even in a season long loan would help him for consistent game time so as to rediscovered his form.
A team with less pressure that would guarantee him game would be something Gondwe desperately needs.
Whether it’s Kansanshi Dynamos or another team, Gondwe could definitely do with a change of scenery.
However Nkana may not be eager to let their son leave Chilata given that he is one of their own, a Young Nkana product.
Whatever happens, Gondwe needs to find his way back to his once very promise self and become the main man at Nkana, it’s time.
Nkana don’t know how to groom young talent to maturity level.