Posted in News, Team News on Jan 15, 2020.
Akumu Agay 15th January 2020
Kaizer Chiefs have signed Kenyan international Anthony ‘Teddy’ Akumu Agay on a three-and- half year deal. The player joins the Glamour Boys from Zambian club Zesco United. Chiefs confirmed the signing on Wednesday with Akumu becoming the first Kenyan international to sign for the club.
Akumu is a well-travelled midfielder having played club football at the highest level in Kenya for Kenyan champions Gor Mahia 18 times, as well as for Al Khartoum in Sudan and Zesco in Zambia.
On penning his deal with Chiefs, a delighted Akumu says: “I am still in the process of learning about the team. From my experience so far, I am happy to be here - this is a loving team with great support. It’s like a family - the players, supporters and administration are like one. The team has ambitions and goals and I want to help them achieve these.”
The 27- year- old is also pleased that he was part of the club’s unique milestone when they celebrated their 50th birthday last week as watched them defeat Highlands Park in a league game at the FNB Stadium. He adds: “I was at the stadium for the Highlands Park game and the energy was unbelievable, the atmosphere was wonderful it was a good thing the team won”.
Akumu who was born in a village in rural Kenya but moved to the outskirts of the Kenyan capital city Nairobi at a young age where he honed his skills there and earned the nickname Teddy after a famous former Manchester United striker. “I grew up in a place called Mathare in Nairobi and that is where I started playing football. In this area the guys were Manchester United fans and at the time there was the great United team with Ryan Giggs and Dwight Yorke, so the guys used to call me Teddy after the striker former Man Utd and England striker Teddy Sheringham.”
Akumu who has vast experience competing in African club competition as well as for the Kenyan national team he featured in a CAF Confederations Cup game against Kaizer Chiefs in play-off round games in January 2019 for his former Zambian club Zesco.
He is also pleased to have his former Zesco United teammate Lazalous Kambole with him at Chiefs. “When you come to a football institution like this, it’s good to have somebody to help show you around and guide you, having him around is making it easier for me to acclimatise.”
On becoming the first player from Kenya to join the Amakhosi which means that Chiefs have signed up players from 18 different African countries, he explained, “I have learnt that I am the first Kenyan at Chiefs and it is a good thing. I now need to perform well and show I’m capable of doing for the team. This will hopefully open doors for other people. The fact that Chiefs had had so many players representing different African countries, it shows what a welcoming team it is and I am grateful to be part of that”.
Akumu is hoping to have the same kind of impact at Chiefs that one of his countryman former Kenya international Musa Otieno had when he featured for PSL side Santos between 1997 and 2011 winning a league title, two cups and the BP Top8.
Kaizer Chiefs have signed Kenyan international Anthony ‘Teddy’ Akumu Agay on a three-and- half year deal. The player joins the Glamour Boys from Zambian club Zesco United. Chiefs confirmed the signing on Wednesday with Akumu becoming the first Kenyan international to sign for the club.
Akumu is a well-travelled midfielder having played club football at the highest level in Kenya for Kenyan champions Gor Mahia 18 times, as well as for Al Khartoum in Sudan and Zesco in Zambia.
On penning his deal with Chiefs, a delighted Akumu says: “I am still in the process of learning about the team. From my experience so far, I am happy to be here - this is a loving team with great support. It’s like a family - the players, supporters and administration are like one. The team has ambitions and goals and I want to help them achieve these.”
The 27- year- old is also pleased that he was part of the club’s unique milestone when they celebrated their 50th birthday last week as watched them defeat Highlands Park in a league game at the FNB Stadium. He adds: “I was at the stadium for the Highlands Park game and the energy was unbelievable, the atmosphere was wonderful it was a good thing the team won”.
Akumu who was born in a village in rural Kenya but moved to the outskirts of the Kenyan capital city Nairobi at a young age where he honed his skills there and earned the nickname Teddy after a famous former Manchester United striker. “I grew up in a place called Mathare in Nairobi and that is where I started playing football. In this area the guys were Manchester United fans and at the time there was the great United team with Ryan Giggs and Dwight Yorke, so the guys used to call me Teddy after the striker former Man Utd and England striker Teddy Sheringham.”
Akumu who has vast experience competing in African club competition as well as for the Kenyan national team he featured in a CAF Confederations Cup game against Kaizer Chiefs in play-off round games in January 2019 for his former Zambian club Zesco.
He is also pleased to have his former Zesco United teammate Lazalous Kambole with him at Chiefs. “When you come to a football institution like this, it’s good to have somebody to help show you around and guide you, having him around is making it easier for me to acclimatise.”
On becoming the first player from Kenya to join the Amakhosi which means that Chiefs have signed up players from 18 different African countries, he explained, “I have learnt that I am the first Kenyan at Chiefs and it is a good thing. I now need to perform well and show I’m capable of doing for the team. This will hopefully open doors for other people. The fact that Chiefs had had so many players representing different African countries, it shows what a welcoming team it is and I am grateful to be part of that”.
Akumu is hoping to have the same kind of impact at Chiefs that one of his countryman former Kenya international Musa Otieno had when he featured for PSL side Santos between 1997 and 2011 winning a league title, two cups and the BP Top8.
