Katsande eyes a move to Bundesliga side Hamburger SV

ZIMBABWE international midfielder, Willard Katsande, is reaping immediate rewards for his stellar season in South Africa and could seal a blockbuster move to Bundesliga side Hamburger SV.

Katsande was one of the standout players for South African Premiership giants Kaizer Chiefs as the Amakhosi won a League and Cup double.

The Zimbabwe midfielder enjoyed good reviews in the Absa Premiership with his coach Stuart Baxter, an Englishman, saying the anchorman was the best defensive midfielder in Super Diski.

Zimbabwean players appear to have turned the anchorman role at the Amakhosi into their portfolio.

Before Katsande's arrival that position, for close to a decade, was monopolised by another Zimbabwe international, Tinashe Nengomasha.

Baxter singled out Katsande among the five outstanding players who drove Chiefs to the League and Cup double.

There have also been a public outcry here for the gritty midfielder to be included in the Warriors' squad, which begins training this morning, for the World Cup qualifiers against Egypt and Guinea.

But it seems while the doors into the Warriors have been closed for Katsande, for now, he could get a break into the Bundesliga with expectations high that he could land a contract with Hamburger SV.

Everything appears to be rolling and, soon, it could be a question of just the European club, his management team and his club Kaizer Chiefs striking a deal.

The scouts from the German club, which finished seventh in the 18-team Bundesliga, were in Johannesburg last month, to assess the midfielder.

And it appears they were satisfied with what they saw in the hard-tackling anchorman in the match against SuperSport, which Chiefs drew 1-1, to be crowned champions.

They also watched him in action in the league's last match against Pretoria University when they lost 1-0 to the newboys.

The scouts then had their last assessment in the last match of the season, the Nedbank Cup final, as the Amakhosi beat SuperSport United 1-0 to win their second major trophy of a very successful season.

Interestingly, it was in these matches that the midfielder also stood out and had a huge impact for his team.

Katsande's contract with the Soweto giants ends next year in June and it waits to be seen whether Chiefs will cash in on the player now and agree terms with the Germany side.

Yesterday, Katsande said he was aware of the huge interest from the German side and was watching the developments closely.

"The deal is almost done and my manager and the club have the finer details. The scouts had seen my DVDs and they also came to South Africa to watch me in action," said Katsande.

"I am so confident that I impressed them because everyone, including my team mates, have been talking about my performance in the past five matches.

"I have also been happy with my performance in those games although as a player you will never be satisfied and should keep on working hard.

"I am ready to face new challenges and I am just praying that everything goes according to plan."

The former Gunners man, who had remained in South Africa to sort his move, only returned home on Sunday evening also spoke about his omission from the Warriors.