After winning five trophies last season, many would assume Yanga SC has no reason to make major signings in this transfer window.
But contrary to those expectations, the clubâs management, under President Engineer Hersi Said, has aggressively entered the market in search of high-caliber playersâwhat they call âreal machinesââto strengthen a squad that won everything domestically last season.
But why continue signing players when the team is already dominating?
THE SECRET TO REMAINING CHAMPIONS
Thereâs a well-known saying: âWinning the championship is easy, but staying champions is the hard part.â Competition, both locally and internationally, intensifies every season. Additionally, playersâ performance levels tend to decline, especially those who have been heavily relied upon over long periods. This is why Yanga does not dwell on past achievements; instead, the club looks ahead, asking: who will take us further next season?
Engineer Hersi has established a clear policy: every season, there must be new faces in the squad, with careful evaluation of every playerâs contribution. Those who underperform or have peaked in their abilities are respectfully released, with their spots filled by hungry, ambitious players.
If you compare the Yanga squad that won the 2021/22 league title to the team that triumphed in 2024/25, the changes are significant. Even some players who still performed well were allowed to leave to make way for fresh energy.
STARS DEPARTING AND NEW ONES ARRIVING
This transfer window has seen big names like Stephane Aziz Ki, Kennedy Musonda, and even Clatous Chama depart. But this doesnât signal the end for Yanga; rather, it marks the beginning of a new chapter. Yanga is actively searching for their replacementsâplayers who will not merely fill gaps but reignite the competitive fire where it has dimmed.
New players are given the opportunity to contribute to Yangaâs vision: the team is not built around individual stars but around a system that upgrades itself every season.
THE STRATEGY OF BUILDING A COMPETITIVE TEAM
Yanga has become a model club for its âcontinuous improvementâ strategy. This system of introducing fresh talent, reinforcing weak areas, and letting go of players whose performance has dipped keeps Yanga ahead of its rivals.
Yangaâs success is not solely the result of its current players but of forward-looking leadership that keeps building the teamâeven when everyone else believes itâs already complete.