AFC Leopards Paying The Price For Lack Of Attacking Reinforcements In Mid-Season Transfer Window

AFC Leopards coach Fred Ambani. (Credit: AFC Leopards).

AFC Leopards Paying The Price For Lack Of Attacking Reinforcements In Mid-Season Transfer Window

Joel Omotto 13:14 - 19.04.2025

AFC Leopards had a chance to address their lack of goals in the midseason transfer window but failed to and they are now staring at the prospect of another poor season.

AFC Leopards are regretting their decision not to sign attacking players in the midseason transfer window as it has seen them drop out of the title race and face the prospect of finishing out of the top five.

Leopards suffered a 1-0 loss to Posta Rangers on Friday, which extended their winless streak to six straight games, dropping from the top four to seventh place on the FKF Premier League table.

In fact, Leopards, who have 37 points from 26 matches, could end the week in ninth position, if both Bandari and Sofapaka, both on 36 points, win their matches on Saturday.

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Ingwe have been toothless since the start of February, with five goals scored in their last nine league matches, during a period in which they have only won two, drawing five and losing two.

Worryingly for Leopards, four of the five draws have ended 0-0 with the other one being a 1-1 stalemate with Shabana, which shows their desperate need for a striker.

Those goalless draws have come against Kariobangi Sharks, Sofapaka, Kenya Police and Gor Mahia while they have now suffered back-to-back losses to Kakamega Homeboyz and Posta Rangers.

Leopards are finding it hard to score goals and if the opponent breaks the deadlock first, they are unable to outscore them and win matches.

It leaves them staring at another poor end to the season, yet they were among the title contenders in the first half of the campaign.

Leopards' early season promise has disappeared

Victor Omune of AFC Leopards Photo || Courtesy

Coach Fred Ambani had managed to put together a great run from December to the start of February, when they lost just one of their nine games, having won five and drawn four over that period, with victories against title contenders Kenya Police, KCB and Tusker among them.

However, the tactician has seen his side drop points more regularly since February due to lack of a clinical striker that would bury the chances they create.

Leopards lost Rwandese Arthur Gitego in the midseason transfer window, although the striker had been struggling for game time with off-field issues affecting his stay in Kenya, while Sydney Lokale has not come up trumps since the turn of the year.

Ambani has been left to field wide players and attacking midfielders in the striking areas and the results are there to see as they struggle in the unfamiliar roles.

Against both Homeboyz and Posta Rangers, Leopards’ attack had Victor Omune, Ronald ‘Bebeto’ Sichenje and Kevin Kimani, none of them a striker, highlighting the difficult position coach Ambani finds himself in.

Leopards were, however, fully aware of this when the midseason transfer window opened between January 31 and February 28, but failed to address the glaring issue, a decision that has come back to bite hard.