Ulimwengu rubbishes Yanga link

Dar es Salaam. Thomas Ulimwengu declined to extend his contract with Congolese giants TP Mazembe recently, harbouring hopes of following in Mbwana Samatta’s footsteps.

While hot-shot Samatta sealed a transfer to Belgium’s KRC Genk with ease, Ulimwengu is still struggling to locate his next destination.

The 23-year-old, who has been nursing a niggling injury, is in Dar es Salaam and has started light exercises.

He is optimistic of inking for a top club sooner rather than later.

The well-built forward has been linked with a move to Young Africans, but when speaking with The Citizen yesterday, Ulimwengu rubbished the rumours, saying it would be a step backward.

“That’s mere speculation. Yanga haven’t approached me and it has never crossed my mind that I will leave TP Mazembe and sign for a Tanzanian club.

That’s simply impossible at the moment,” said Ulimwengu, who has never played in the Vodacom Premier League.

He said: “TP Mazembe wanted me to stay, but I decided to go and look for a new challenge. My goal is to play outside the continent, especially, where the league is competitive enough.

“I know many African clubs are after my signature, but my focus is on playing professional football outside Africa and I expect to land a contract before long because there’re talks going on with big clubs.”

Pressed to name a few clubs that his agent (Jamal Kisongo) is in talks with, Ulimwengu declined and called for patience.

“No, I can’t go into the details, but I will soon sign for a top club. My agent is finalising the deal, so just keep your ear to the ground,” he said.

He added that he was a happy man at TP Mazembe, but time had come for him to play in a topflight league.

The Citizen contacted Kisongo over Ulimwengu’s situation, but he too was not ready to name the clubs he was holding negotiations with.

However, he said there were offers from Belgium, China and Spain and that they were going through the offers wisely.