New signing Thiago Da Silva controls the ball in the air under pressure from team mate Collins ‘Gattuso’ Okoth.PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 14 – As he awaits his International Transfer Certificate (ITC), Gor Mahia’s Brazilian striker Thiago Da Silva has set a target of 15 goals when the Kenyan Premier League second-leg gets underway in July.
Da Silva signed by head coach Jose Marcelo Ferreira from Chinese side CD Monte Carlo is yet to get his ITC before the process of acquiring a work permit starts.
The 24-year old forward, who was the second best scorer in the Macau first division league while at Monte Carlo with 24 goals, is also eying silverware with the three-peat Premier League defending champions.
“In 10 months while at Monte Carlo, I scored 24 goals, now in five months with Gor Mahia, I want to score at least 15. I know I can make it although I don’t know much about the Kenyan league,” Da Silva told Capital Sport.
“So far, I feel happy with the club. Everybody has welcomed me well and the weather is good just like Brazil. I’ve heard so much about the club, the fans and how they love the team and I look forward to the experience,” he added.
Gor head coach Marcelo has touted the player to succeed at K’Ogalo and says he trusts in his abilities and he will deliver the goals.
The team has also signed two more players, defender Wellington Ochieng from Muhoroni Youth and striker Baron Oketch from Western Stima.
Oketch made his debut over the weekend in the KPL Top 8 and had a good performance, adding pace and strength to the attacking line.
“We needed young players who have a good future. I watched both of them when they played against us and I have been following up on them. They are players who will give us strength for the second leg,” the Brazilian coach underscored.
Captain Musa Mohammed has lauded the impact brought in by the new coach, who arrived when the club was struggling after a poor start of the season under the then tactician Frank Nuttall.
“He (Marcelo) has brought a lot of confidence into the team because he is a coach who trusts in the players. We have grown as a team, playing more with the ball. He has brought good change to us,” Mohammed noted.
K’Ogalo are eying a treble this season; lifting the KPL title for a fourth year in a row, defending the KPL Top 8 and winning the regional CECAFA Kagame Club Championships.
