Nigeria World Cup star Onazi swaps Serie A for Hong Kong Premier League, as Kitchee target AFC Champions League glory
- Ex-Nigeria international and Lazio star Ogenyi Onazi joins treble winners, along with North Macedonia’s Aleksandar Damecevski
- Kitchee to streamline first-team squad as they target success of multiple fronts again
Kitchee have added an ex-World Cup and Serie A star to a streamlined squad as they prepare to defend their three domestic titles and push for success in the AFC Champions League.
The Hong Kong treble winners have signed Nigeria’s Ogenyi Onazi, who spent four seasons with Italian club Lazio and played at the 2014 World Cup, as well as North Macedonia central defender Aleksandar Damcevski.
Both 30 years old, the pair are younger than the normal over-the-hill stars who traditionally play in the city’s top flight towards the end of their careers, and Kitchee head coach Alex Chu Chi-kwong said he believed they still had a “lot to contribute”.
“There will be only 26 players in our first team for next season but it will not come at the expenses of our quality,” Chu said.
Onazi, who has made the switch from East Riffa in Bahrain, made 76 appearances for Lazio between 2012 and 2016, scoring four times.
And despite knowing little about Hong Kong football before making the move, he said he was looking forward to the new challenge.
“Before accepting the offer, I tried to find more information about Kitchee and the history of Hong Kong football,” he said. “They are a great team and have achieved a lot, but I am here to make sure they can achieve more as it’s not enough.
“Every team I played in I like to take the responsibility and help the team get more trophies and more steps for us to go ahead.”
Joining the Nigerian in midfield will be Hong Kong international Tan Chun-lok, who’s previous club Guangzhou City in the China Super League was suspended this season because of financial difficulties.
Tan, who returned to the city in April, said he was looking forward to the competition for places, which he believed would raise the standard within the squad.
“I haven’t played here [Hong Kong] for several years, but it will not be too difficult for me to adapt it back especially playing for a good team like Kitchee,” said the 27-year-old, who has not given up hope of returning to the CSL.
“If I can perform well in the AFC Champions League and the Hong Kong representative team, I think the chances will still be there to attract their eyes, but the priority is to do well with Kitchee,” he added.
Kitchee, who won the Hong Kong Premier League, FA Cup and Senior Shield last season, have an embarrassment of riches in midfield, with Igor Sartori, Cleiton Velasques, Mikael Severo Burkatt and Charlie Scott all in the squad.
Another newcomer to the team is forward Walter Belitardo Jnr, who joined from BC Rangers, while left back Shinichi Chan has returned from Spain after completing his loan spell with Real Union.
Kitchee have released 16 players during the off season, including striker Dejan Damjanovic, who has taken the club to a Fifa tribunal over a contract dispute, and Hong Kong international Ngan Cheuk-pan, who has gone to Sham Shui Po on loan.
Kitchee will leave for a training camp in Thailand later this month and play six friendlies ahead of the new domestic season, which is expected to start in August, and the Champions League group stage in September.
Chu said the return to home-and-away fixtures in the regional competition would present challenges in terms of balancing travel and domestic matches, and the club was not ruling out signing “more overseas players if required”.
