Atraco goes for Cranes duo

In a bid to keep their league title hopes alive, Atraco Fc are planning a double swoop for Ugandan internationals Dan Wagaluka and Hamisi Kitagenda, Times Sports has learnt.The duo is currently playing their club football for Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), a side that has won the Ugandan league in the last two years. “We’ve already agreed a deal in principle with the players and what is remaining is to agree transfer terms with their club,” Atraco head coach Jean Marie Ntagwabira disclosed yesterday. The league leaders have been short on strikers and Ntagwabira believes the arrival of the pair, which is imminent, would add further dimension to his team’s game. Both are experienced internationals who have played for Uganda’s big teams including SC Villa and Kampala City Council (KCC) before joining URA. The name Wagaluka is quite familiar to Rwandans especially APR and Amavubi Stars fans while Kitagenda, despite not being as familiar, has an admirable record of scoring goals at the highest level with KCC, URA and the Cranes. Midfielder Wagaluka will always be remembered for the way he dismantled APR during the final of the 2005 Cecafa/Kagame Club Championship staged in Tanzania. He was at it again last December, this time at the national team level during the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup also held in Tanzania when he tormented Amavubi defenders when the two countries met at the group stage and at the semifinals. Asked why they are signing more players yet they’re seen as the having the biggest squad in the league, Ntagwabira said, “True we have a big squad but we needed to strengthen our striking line that’s why we went for these players.” “Both are quality players and I’m sure they’ll add a lot to our team. Kitagenda will give us more options in attack while Wagaluka is probably the best right winger in the region.Prodigal son About the return of Joseph Kabagambe, who by each passing day is becoming like a prodigal son, the former APR coach noted, “Kabagambe has returned but because of his off-field antics, we can’t rely on him anymore”. The skilled winger missed the majority of Atraco’s league first round matches mainly to the fact that his desired move to Express Fc failed to materialize because the Ugandan club could not march Atraco’s evaluation for the player. League title a big possibilityThe 34-year-old former Rwandan international midfielder is adamant his team can win this year’s league title. The taxi-men side leads the league standing at the halfway stage of the season with 30 points, three ahead of nearest challengers and defending champions APR Fc.He said, “We’re in the driving seat at this stage of the season and I hope, God-willing, we shall maintain our good run of form from the first round and take it into the second round”. The second round is schedule to get underway this coming weekend and Ntagwabira Wagaluka and Kitagenda, once APR targets could make their debut against Police but only if they (Atraco) manage to get their International Transfer Certificates in time. Efforts to get a comment from Atraco influential vice president Issa Ngenzi about what club insiders are describing as an “imminent” arrival of the duo were futile as he persistently could not pick his telephone.Ends

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Atraco goes for Cranes duo