Serbian scout reveals how unwelcomed decision to sign Collins Sichenje infuriated Ajax
Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 29.06.26. | 18:42
Speaking to Mozzart Sport, Vojvodina chief scout reveals the secret behind the Harambee Stars defender's stellar rise and how two Europa League games changed everything
When Serbian powerhouse Vojvodina Novi Sad bought the then-21-year-old Collins Sichenje from Swedish outfit AIK in July 2024, both the club and, especially, its scouting department came under heavy public criticism. Many felt it seemed like too risky a move.
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Initially, he came on a six-month loan, with an option to make the loan a permanent transfer. Two months later, after impressing in his first few games for the club, Sichenje's move was made permanent. He signed a three-year deal with the club for a fee of €400,000 (Ksh59 million).
Talking exclusively to Mozzart Sport, the chief of Vojvodina's scouting department, Zoran Kuntic, reveals that the Harambee Stars defender's purchase was quite a gamble for the club.
There was no consensus among the scouts about his talent; even AIK's impressions of their own player at that time were not too impressive.
"What was interesting is that when we contacted our people at AIK to ask about Collins, most of the feedback was actually negative. We heard all sorts of things about him. Making the final decision wasn't easy at all.
But after he arrived and played against Ajax Amsterdam over two legs of the Europa League, Ajax's head of scouting was furious with his own scouts. He asked how they had managed to overlook such an outstanding talent," explains Kuntic.
Continuing, Kuntic shared further details about the scouting analysis that preceded Sichenje's arrival.
"When we were evaluating Collins, it became obvious just how different the four of us in the scouting department were in mentality and approach," Kuntic said, elaborating further.
"One of us wanted to give him an 'A' rating. That would mean he could instantly improve the quality of our side. The others strongly disagreed, which led to some serious debates.
We then went back and analysed Sichenje in great detail, situation by situation. In the end, we concluded that he should be viewed as a player with enormous potential rather than a signing who would immediately improve the team. There were still several flaws in his game."
The Vojvodina scout claims that they were fully aware of what he sees as Sichenje's main weaknesses - his somewhat casual approach to possession and the fact that his forward runs through midfield often ended with him losing the ball.
However, Kuntic believed those aspects could be refined through coaching.
"Whereas his athleticism is something you simply cannot teach. At the time, he was by far the fastest centre-back in the Serbian top division," explained the club's head of scouting.
"I think we've been brought up to look at football the wrong way. Here, as soon as we see mistakes, we rush to draw final conclusions. A lot of people asked me what exactly we saw in Sichenje. His mistakes certainly stood out because there was usually only one per game, and it was often costly. Half of those mistakes resulted in conceded goals, while the other half created clear-cut chances for the opposition.
"However, on the other hand, nobody talked about how many times Sichenje rescued Vojvodina with his recovery pace. He sprinted back to prevent almost certain goals. People simply took that for granted. His speed is extraordinary, and that's exactly why he developed into such a highly-rated defender," concludes Kuntic.