MARITBZURG PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE JANUARY SIGNINGS

24 January, 2022

Maritzburg United are delighted to announce the acquisitions of the following players Tawanda Macheke, Genino Palace, Lucky Baloyi, Steven Pereira and Friday Samu.

Macheke was previously on the books of Zimbabwean outfit, Black Rhinos FC.
Palace was last at Portuguese side, Académica De Coimbra.
Baloyi joins the club from KZN-based side, Royal AM.
Pereira was playing in Portugal for UD Oliveirense.
Samu arrives from Zambian club, Green Baffaloes FC.

Palace will add competition in the middle of the park for the Team of Choice ahead of the remaining matches in the DStv Premiership and Nedbank Cup.

The 24-year-old midfielder boasts some international experience having plied his trade abroad with the likes of Académica De Coimbra, Sacavenense, and SC Braga U/23 all based in Portugual.

Speaking to the club's official website, Palace said: "I'm excited to start my new journey at the club. I'm ready to contribute to the team's objectives and I'm confident that I'll grow and add value in this environment."

The 26-year-old Macheke is equally excited about the opportunity to ply his trade in
South Africa.

"Honestly, I'm excited to join the club. The technical team and my teammates have made it easier for me to settle in since I have been here. I'm thrilled and looking forward to helping the club achieve its targets." Macheke said.

The club has also signed the highly talented midfielder Baloyi, who's also known as
"Sherrif" in local circles. The 31-year-old former Kaizer Chiefs and Bloemfontein Celtic midfielder has promised to give his best.

"I am so excited to have joined Maritzburg United and everyone at the club have been so welcoming and supportive towards me ever since I arrived."

Lucky comes with a wealth of experience having lifted the Premiership title and the Nedbank Cup with Chiefs in the past.

"I'll do my best to contribute to the team and help us achieve our goals for the remainder of the season. I am looking forward to using this opportunity to help the club in any possible way. It feels great to be here," said Baloyi.

Cape Verde international signing Steven Pereira joins the club from Portuguese outfit, UD Oliveirense.
The 28-year-old defender has five caps under his belt for the Cape Verde senior national team and was unfortunate not to join them in Cameron for the AFCON. He has spent his career in Europe where he played for PE Zwolle and MVV Maastricht in the Netherlands, CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria, and UD Oliveirense in Portugal.

Pereira, who made his international debut against South Africa in 2017 expressed his excitement after putting pen to paper.

"I am happy to be on the pitch again! After my injury, I didn’t play for a while. So, I feel blessed to join Maritzburg United and to be able to help them achieve good things in the second half of the season," he said.

Friday Samu has been ruthless in front of goals for Green Buffaloes in Zambia this season, netting 14 goals in 18 matches in Zambia whose Premier League is still currently ongoing.

The 27-year-old goal poacher is excited to start a new chapter of his career with
Maritzburg United.

"I'm very excited to have joined the team and to the supporters I promise that I will do my best to contribute and make sure we progress as a team," Samu said.

Head coach Ernst Middendorp is satisfied with the acquisitions the club have acquired thus far during the current window period.

"Palace has made the progress we were expecting whilst training with the club. We now need to work on his match fitness and hopefully, it doesn't take too long."

"Macheke made a good statement since his arrival. He is a forward player who has shown intelligence in game situations. He is hungry, determined to succeed, and hopefully, he will be able to assist us to turn our scoring opportunities into goals”.

"Steven is a Cape Verde national team player who is a centre-back with a very strong athletic personality, educated in the Netherlands. Steven suffered an Achilles tendon injury but is now fully recovered."

"Lucky Baloyi is well-known in South Africa. He is an experienced player with a very professional attitude. He has been the captain in the final years of Bloemfontein Celtic.

“Samu is coming from a team that consistently compete in CAF competitions and we are excited to have him. He's been scoring goals in Zambia, and we believe that he will be one of the solutions to our issues of struggling with finishing."

"I am convinced that all the players will have a crucial productive input for us in the remaining matches of the season." Middendorp concluded.