The wait is over:
MARVELOUS NAKAMBA joined Aston Villa’s £113.5 million new brigade yesterday after the Birmingham side waited until all the boxes had been ticked - including the key issue of securing him a permit to play in the English Premiership - before unveiling him yesterday.
The 25-year-old’s patience was tested, to the very limits, but in the end he got what he had been dreaming of, a chance to play in the league with the biggest global following in world football.
His £12 million (about US$14.5 million) transfer breaks the record for a Zimbabwean footballer and he is set to earn £55 000 (about US$66 760) a week, the biggest weekly pay cheque ever earned by a professional soccer player from this country.
The five-year deal also shows the confidence Villa have in the player, not just for their immediate assignments in the English Premiership this season, but also for their future.
On a record-breaking day for African football, Nicolas Pepe smashed the transfer record for a footballer from this continent when Arsenal agreed to pay about US$87.38m to the Ivorian winger from French club Lille.
The transfer fee also breaks the US$78.90 million that took Congolese forward, Cedrick Bakambu, from Spain to the Chinese Super League.
Contrary to what many believe here, the US$14.5 million which Villa will pay Belgian side Club Brugge is purely a transaction between the two clubs and none of that amount will get into the coffers of Nakamba.
There has been a misconception here that 10 percent of the transfer fee, from such deals, automatically goes into the coffers of the player.
The player, and his handlers, have to negotiate their terms, and financial returns, from the new club and this was one area that also meant negotiations took a bit longer than had been expected.
‘‘All is well that ends well, the lad has had his visa, medical was successful and is happy to start a new life at Villa Park,’’ one of the agents involved in the deal, Ndaba Nyathi, told The Herald.
‘‘The move had its challenges but all parties needed each other so much for it to fail.
‘‘Club Brugge are happy with the settlement, (Villa) have kicked on to the next level with the new addition and, of course, the fella is Marvelous.’’
Nyathi worked with a Belgian agent to finally get the deal over the line.
And, Nakamba, was brimming with confidence after the deal was finally sealed.
‘‘I am a marvellous player,’’ he declared in his first interview with the Villa media channels.
“I am a midfielder giving everything for the team every time, one who gives everything for the team, who fights for the team.
“For me to be here I feel fantastic, I feel happy and I am happy to be here. I am looking forward to playing against the best players in the Premier League and playing in the best league in the world.
“It has been a dream for me to be competing among the best players in the world, competing in one of the best leagues in the world. “I will give everything and try my best.” Nakamba is now Villa’s 12th signing. “Marvelous fits the criteria of the type of player we were looking for. He’s very mobile, he’s very good in possession and he will fit in with our style of play,’’ said Villa manager, Dean Smith.
And, the Villa fans have already composed a song for Nakamba. ‘‘Marvelous Nakamba, What a wonderful name, Marvelous Nakamba Plays the beautiful game, It means no worries Every time that he plays, It’s just problem-free, midfield mastery . . . Marvelous Nakamba.’’ Reports have also emerged that Villa tried to sign Nakamba in January, with manager Smith confident he could help their push for a place in the English Premiership, but Club Brugge refused to sell him.
However, Smith kept the midfielder on his radar and followed his progress in Belgium, in the second half of the season, and also how he played for the Warriors.
Nakamba featured in just one match for the Warriors at the 2019 AFCON finals, against Egypt where he put on an impressive show, before injury knocked him out of the subsequent games against Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Nakamba’s profile has risen in recent years after successful stints in the Netherlands, where he played for Vittese, and in Belgium where his Champions League performances for Club Brugge caught the eye.
He is the second member of the Warriors squad, at the last AFCON finals, to move to a higher European league after centre-back Teenage Hadebe left Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa for the Turkish Premiership.
Considered by some to be level headed, and a possible future captain of the Warriors, Nakamba has always believed he was good enough to play in the English Premiership.
‘’Marvelous Nakamba, What a wonderful name, Marvelous Nakamba Plays the beautiful game, It means no worries Every time that he plays, It’s just problem-free, midfield mastery . . . Marvelous Nakamba.’’