Yanga Sign Former Newcastle Midfielder Gael Bigirimana

Tanzania Mainland Premier League side Young Africans have confirmed the signing of former Newcastle midfielder Gael Bigirimana.

The 28-year-old, who joins the club on a free transfer, signed a two year contract at the club’s secretariat on Saturday.

“Surprise from the in-coming Young Africans Sports Club president ,” read the post on the club’s official Facebook page. “ Gael Bigirimana is now Green and Yellow.”

The former Newcastle and Coventry midfielder becomes the most expensive player in the local league as he is set to pocket a lucrative USD 30,000 per month salary.

He is expected to be unveiled on July 24 in Dar es Salaam during the Citizens event dubbed ‘Wiki Ya Mwananchi’.

Bigirimana plays for Burundi at international level, but his career in football started after he moved to the UK in 2004.

The midfielder first played at Coventry from the age of 11 and made his senior debut in August 2011 and went on to make 28 appearances that season before he was snapped up by Newcastle.

He made his Premier League debut against Aston Villa in September 2012 and played 25 times in all competitions for the Magpies, scoring one goal.

His most recent club was Glentoran where he stayed at The Oval until the end of the of 2021/2022 football season.