Rayon Sports needs to avoid ‘mass’ signings every window

Rayon Sports completed their eighth signing in the one-month old transfer window last week after acquiring former AS Kigali and Gasogi United midfielder Felix Ndekwe. It is evident that the Blues will make more signings before the transfer window ends in August. Mass signing of players every transfer window is not new to Rayon Sports as it has become a norm. In last years transfer window, they signed as many as thirteen new players and it is evident they will surpass that number this term. The big question is Is it really worth it to do mass signing every season? Well Rayon Sports have financial means to acquire many players and are one of the richest clubs in the country, judging from their fan base and the recent corporate sponsorship with local Brewery, SKOL. But in football circles, mass signing every transfer window does not guarantee trophies. What guarantees trophies is consistency and team work. If Rayon continues to do mass signing every season, it will be difficult for them to realize their dreams of winning the league title again. All over the world, teams which have dominated their leagues and continental campaigns are teams which have been kept over a period of time. The Real Madrid team which has won five champions leagues in the past nine years have been kept close to a decade. The telepathy is there, there is team work and they know each other. Normally in transfer windows, they just bring in two or three players to fill the loopholes. Looking at the African continent, the Hearts of Oak team which won the CAF champions league in 2000 and also three Ghana Premier League titles in a row had been kept for five years. The same players featured under the late coach Jones Atuquayefio and they beat everyone in Africa. That is the hallmark of consistency. In the Rwandan Premier League, APR have been dominant due to the consistency of their players and the fact that most of them have played together and the understanding is there. The Army club does not make mass signings every season like their rivals Rayon Sports do. They just bring in a few players who are needed to fill gaps in transfer windows when the need arises. Rwandan registered football player agent and manager Nduwayezu Emmy who manages and represents players in the Premier League including Bugesera striker Sadick Sulley says that Rayon Sports’ issue of signing many players every window is peculiar because in the long run, it affects the club in various ways. Honestly, most of the administrators misunderstand football. They just buy players for the sake of it and because the value of the player is cheap not because they need them. Sometimes, they also buy even technically unwanted players to appease their fans. Nduwayezu told Times Sport Also, the fact that the teams change coaches frequently means that each coach will want to sign his own players for his style of play and this will always bring mass signings and it drags the team back. Most clubs do not take football as a business, they dont plan and have no strategies. They just take it as fun. The inadequate professionalism of team leaders brings about all this mass signings which affects clubs. He added. Considering the Rayon Sports team which finished fourth in the 2021/2022 Rwandan Premier League, the main problems in the team were strikers and defence. In the absence of Cameroonian forward Wily Andre Onana, the Blues always struggled There is no doubt that Rayon Sports is a very demanding club but success cannot be achieved overnight if mass signings are made every season without letting those who are there to jell. Consistency is ideal and it is about time Rayon Sports keep their team for at least three years without mass signings and see if the players will not perform. Rayon Sports remains one of the biggest clubs in Rwanda and if a well-structured plan is laid down, the team can rule the country and perform better in continental competitions.