As so often happens the subject of Benjani has reared its head – Pompey Malta looks into the merits of the man, who he thinks we should try to re-sign.
As the new npower Championship season gets closer and closer, Portsmouth’s team still lack numbers. We have a team made up of ‘youngsters’ and other seniors, who are expected to move on in the coming weeks (at least some of them).
David Lampitt and Steve Cotterill have been looking at free agents, loanees and others who are willing to come in for cheap. Makes sense, considering the club’s financial constraints. Up till now, we have signed up Sonko, on loan, and offered contracts to Ashdown and Jordan, both without a club. And both are expected to bite off Lampitt’s hand and take their chance, no matter what financial mess we’re in.
But there is another free-agent who is also willing to bite off the hand of anyone who is ready to offer him a contract. A very familiar face; Benjani Mwaruwari. Benjani, after being told that his Manchester City contract will not be renewed and Sunderland has not shown any interest in him after his unsuccessful spell at the end of last season (8 appearances and no goals), he remains walking around looking for a possible club to play for.
Benjani has his heart at Portsmouth. No doubt. He was never as successful as when he played for Pompey between 2006-2008, making 70 appearances and scoring 19 goals. He was later shown the back door by then manager Redknapp, as we all know. It looked good for some, but ultimately we all came to understand that Benjani would have stayed here in every situation, unlike Defoe.
People may argue that the attacker is tiring. He is on the wrong side of 30, but he has a lot to offer, especially in the (no)power Championship. I am sure that Benjani’s agent is not as Boateng’s, and he could understand the club’s financial issues.
If Portsmouth can sign Benjani, he will offer a lot. He is a strong player who knows where the goal is. He is a player that both Nugent and Smith (assuming they will stay) will need to help them upfront. I am very sure that he will give us more than Kanu (with all due respect to the King).
Benjani hasn’t scored for a long time, and he will be looking forward to play and score, no matter where and how. And if we can offer him a one-year contract, no-one will lose. We haven’t got too much to offer, but we can benefit from what he still has to offer. Every little helps. Beggars can’t be choosers, right? If this move had to happen, we will see a face that made us shed tears for the right reasons. And we haven’t done that for a while.
Written by Pompey Malta.
The views within this article are the views of the individual who wrote and submitted this piece, sometimes solely theirs. They are not necessarily shared by the Vital Pompey Site Journalists.
