LAST season when Fabrice Ngoma, Luis Miquissone and others were signed, Simba assumed they were winning the league already. One fast season forward they are rebuilding.

Rebuild. That's the buzzword following Simba around wherever they go at the moment as they desperately try to put another dismal season behind them and build towards reclaiming their lost glory.

Deadwood are currently being cast aside and replaced with new names that will seamlessly click together and take the club back to the summit of the domestic game.

This time there can be no failure. Things have gotten so bad for Simba that real change is needed now, throughout the entire football club.

There is a lot for the club to consider and that’s why the club investor, Mohamed ‘Mo’ Dewji, is back again at the front and center as they look to put building blocks in place to get back to the top.

Simba have got plenty of work to do to return to their competitive best. The priorities to get the club back on track next season start with sorting the technical bench as soon as possible.

It is perhaps a cause for concern that Simba are still no closer to appointing a successor for coach Abdelhak Benchikha, who exited the club almost two months ago.

Getting the head coach appointment right and as soon as possible is a necessity if Simba are to kick start their pre-season in the best shape possible. Hiring the right coach is an immeasurably important first step in the arduous battle ahead.

It is not hard to see where the squad needs an upgrade. The spine of the team - Che Malone Fondoh, Ngoma, Clatous Chama and Denis Kibu - is actually decent in the Premier League.

However, Young Africans possess a level of depth and quality in all areas of the pitch that Simba simply does not have. The Msimbazi Street-based side had weaknesses in many areas, which made it tough for them to sustain the pace of Miguel Gamondi’s team throughout the season.

Simba’s recruitment from 2018 to 2021 was almost flawless, but since then it has come in for some criticism as the squad depth has not been well covered pushing the club to over-rely on players at the wrong end of the age spectrum.

The unexpected exit of Inonga Baka has left more for the club to do. Lameck Lawi is an exciting addition but he is one of the future. Ideally, the player who replaces Baka in the squad from 2024/25 onwards will be somebody capable of partnering with Che Malone on the biggest of occasions.

Mohamed Hussein certainly needs more competition in his left-back role. Duchu, who was brought back last season, is not close to pushing Tshabalala to improve.

Defensive midfield remains one of the most important issues for Simba to get right. How they have not bought an upgrade on Taddeo Lwanga in the last two years speaks to a big recruitment problem highlighted by three underwhelming seasons.

For all his quality, Ngoma is not the man that shields his side's defence from attacks. That is the most pressing issue for Simba in this transfer window.

Babacar Sarr came in during the last transfer window and has been a fine addition. However, the team still lacks a first-team defensive midfielder who is capable of shielding the defence singlehandedly.

The attacking force also needs some polishing. While the jury is still out on Freddy Koublan, the team certainly needs a striker who can bail them out of trouble consistently.

It is probably around more than seven players that Simba needs. But the real task will be merging them with what is already there and integrating them into the kind of system the incoming coach wants to play.

There have been plenty of cautionary tales concerning a drastic squad overhaul in the past that Simba would do well to remind themselves of. That suggests that patience is required, along with a coordinated and strategic plan of attack in the transfer market.

It will not be easy and it almost certainly won’t be cheap, but Mo Dewji and Co will need to deliver possibly their biggest transfer window yet if they are to get Simba back to where they need to be.