Dynamos coach Callisto Pasuwa  discusses a point with Zambian player Arthur Kaseloki   at yesterdays training session at the National Sports Stadium B Arena

CUTHBERT MALAJILA has agreed personal terms with Maritzburg United with the Zimbabwe international striker virtually sealing his move to the South African Premiership.

The Dynamos forward has been on trials at the Pietermaritzburg side since last week and was the only trialist who was asked to stay behind when six other players, who were trying their luck at the club, were asked to take their game elsewhere.

This followed the decision by the club's leadership to fire coach Ian Palmer last Friday.

The Maritzburg officials felt Malajila was the only player who was likely to bring value to the team and decided to tempt the striker with their offer.

And Malajila agreed terms with the modest Absa Premiership side, which all but sealed his move to the South African side.

All that is now left is for his club Dynamos, where he has a contract until the end of this year, to also agree the transfer terms for the player with the Super Diski team.

Yesterday, the player's manager, Gibson Mahachi, said a deal was now certain given that the player had accepted what Maritzburg were offering.

"It looks okay. On Friday we agreed personal terms and what is left is to finalise with Dynamos. It looks 50-50 and we should have a clearer picture by the end of tomorrow," said Mahachi.

"It is just that the Maritzburg chairman had to spend the weekend seized with the issue of a new coach. But I don't think the changes in coaches will affect the deal because his deal is on."

Maritzburg are hunting for a new coach and are believed to be eyeing former Amazulu coach Manqoba Mngqithi, Khabo Zondo and their former coach Ernst Middendorp.

German coach Middendorp was in charge when the former Chapungu hitman first went for trials at the club but was deemed not good enough to make the grade.Malajila ended up signing for Tunisian side Club African.

He was then loaned to Libyan side Al-Akdhar where he got caught up in the uprising, which engulfed the North African country early last year.

He returned home to join Harare giants and helped them to lift the league title and the Mbada Diamonds Cup as he added a new dimension to the team's strikeforce.

Until then the Dynamos attack had struggled for consistency with Premiership rookies - Rodreck Mutuma and Patrick Khumbula - finding it difficult to adjust to the demands of the top-flight league.

The arrival of Malajila added impetus to the DeMbare attack and boosted the confidence of Mutuma, in particular, who started finding goals with consistency.Mutuma ended up as the Golden Boot winner in his maiden season in the Premiership.

Mutuma and Malajila were expected to spearhead the Dynamos attack in the Champions League this season but it now looks like the veteran striker will not be available.

Question marks also remain over Mutuma's availability with the gangly forward having trials at Ajax Cape Town in South Africa.

Former Hwange forward, Takesure Chinyama, who has returned home from a stint in Poland, has also been registered by Dynamos for the Champions League.

But Chinyama could be leaving soon for a trial stint in Egypt, leaving DeMbare's attacking options critically compromised ahead of the Champions League adventure.

Out of the six out-and-out strikers registered by Dynamos for their Champions League show - Malajila, Mutuma, Chinyama, Tineyi Chitora, Derrick Kabwe and Martin Vengesayi - three are likely to be unavailable for the Champions League campaign if they pass their trials.

At least, yesterday, Kabwe returned to training after the Glamour Boys completed the US$30 000 transaction that enabled the Zambian club to release the striker.

Kabwe could be paired with either Vengesayi or Chitora in the DeMbare attack, during their Champions League campaign, should the deals for Malajila, Chinyama and Mutuma, to join foreign clubs,materialise.

While Vengesayi was impressive in the second half of the season, with his pace giving everyone problems, he was effective as an impact player who came into the game in the second half when the opposition had tired.Throwing him into the fray, to lead the line from the word go, could be tricky.

Chitora had a good stint at Blue Ribbon but is a greenhorn at Champions League level and, as Tawanda Nyamandwe found out, it's one thing making a big impression elsewhere and quite another doing well at Dynamos.