Cape Town City sign Ivory Coast defender
Cape Town City have signed Ivorian defender Kouassi Kouadja as a replacement for departing skipper Robyn Johannes.
The 22-year-old left-footed centre-back has enjoyed a journeyman career to date‚ mostly in Eastern Europe‚ and has been signed on a lengthy four-year contract which suggests the club sees the potential to sell him back to the European market.
He will be a ready-made replacement for Johannes‚ who has signed for Bidvest Wits next season‚ and is likely to form a partnership with new Bafana Bafana cap Taariq Fielies in the centre of defence with Tsepo Gumede having also departed the club.
City also have Kwanda Mngonyama as an option at the back.
City beat off interest from Spain in Kouadja‚ with the player already having featured in four European countries despite his young age.
He played early on for FC Saxan in Moldova‚ before a loan spell at Astra Giurgiu in Romania.
Next stop was FK Slutsk in Belarus‚ before he made the switch to FK Aktobe in Kazakhstan.
Kouadja was most recently with FK Tambov in the Russian second-tier‚ but left at the end of this past season and so has signed for City as a free agent.
He has experience of playing in the UEFA Europa League with various clubs.