Harare giants CAPS United believe troubled midfielder Tanaka Shandirwa will be able to reinvent himself at the Green Machine.
Shandirwa signed a pre-contract with the Harare giants who have already begun preparing for the 2025 Premiership season.
The Green Machine confirmed on their social media platforms that the midfielder agreed to a three-year deal.
Shandirwa's next move was shrouded in uncertainty after falling out of favour at Dynamos where he was embroiled in disciplinary issues on and off field.
But CAPS United president Farai Jere believes, with good mentorship Shandirwa who turns 25 years old in a fortnight, could easily rediscover his form and become one of the top players in the league again.
Jere has confidence Makepekepe coach Lloyd Chitembwe, who previously transformed difficult characters such as Joel Ngodzo who went on to win the Soccer Star of the Year award in 2019, could give Shandirwa a new lease.
"He is a good player, that you cannot take away from him," Jere told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
"He is a player that needs to be reoriented and I feel Lloyd (Chitembwe) is the right coach for him. It's because Lloyd himself is a former midfielder and is good at instilling discipline in the players that he works with.
"We have a history of players that arrived at CAPS United with a bad boy tag but look at how players like Joel Ngodzo turned around their fortunes and became the league's best player after joining us.
"Our football culture creates an environment that accommodate such players. At CAPS United we have our unique way of working on discipline and we also polish the positive side because most of these guys that are labelled bad boys are seriously talented.
"It's an issue of trying to manage the talent. So, we always sit down and talk to these guys and let them know they are joining a big family. That's our culture," said Jere.
Shandirwa has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons of late. From a player who was chosen among the eleven Soccer Star of the Year finalists in 2023 and also deemed good enough to march into the Warriors' fold, his career had taken a serious tumble in a matter of months.
Apparently, the midfielder struggled to handle the fame that comes with playing for a big club such as Dynamos. He joined DeMbare on a two-year loan from Yadah at the beginning of 2023.
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A combination of injuries and disciplinary issues curtailed his wings this season. It has been a terrible year for the midfielder.
His parent club Yadah were also concerned about his behaviour and waning career prospects and after unsuccessful sessions of counselling with Yadah owner Walter Magaya, there were rumours during the mid-season that Shandirwa could be recalled.
He reached the anti-climax of a challenging season last month when he was suspended by Dynamos following a series of run-ins with the club. His loan stint with DeMbare is set to end next month and it looks like there will be no love lost between the two parties.
He could become the latest player to cross the great divide in Harare to join DeMbare's bitter crosstown rivals, CAPS United.
Despite his wayward behaviour, sources indicated Shandirwa was also targeted by newly promoted Premiership side Scottland as well as established clubs such as Highlanders, FC Platinum, and 2024 champions Simba Bhora.
