Zech Obiero: How Harambee Stars Prospect Could Benefit Benni McCarthy Ahead of AFCON 2027

Harambee Stars prospect Zech Obiero is eager to make a mark after securing a loan move to League Two side Tranmere Rovers from Leyton Orient.

The Rising Stars midfielder will spend the rest of the 2025/26 season at Prenton Park, a move aimed at helping him progress from a promising talent to an established first-team player.

The midfielder has featured in eight matchday squads for Orient this season, but with the club embroiled in a competitive League One campaign, the decision was made to give him regular playing time to continue developing his skills.

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Speaking after securing the move, Zech Obiero said he was thrilled to join Tranmere Rovers and expressed his eagerness to begin the next stage of his career.

He explained that he sees himself primarily as an attacking player who enjoys taking the initiative on the ball, creating chances, and contributing with goals and assists, while still being willing to work hard defensively when needed, a huge boost for Benni McCarthy ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Zech Obiero added that he sets personal targets like any player, but emphasised that his main focus is helping the team as much as possible and making a positive impact whenever he can.

“I'm really happy to be here. Excited to start a new journey and just ready to get going. Very good. I would say I'm more attacking-minded. I do like to work hard, I do like to track back, but more going forward, exciting, dribble, get goals, assists, that's more my game, yeah,” he told the team’s media.

“Of course, yeah. I think every player has their targets, but my mould is just trying to get as many as possible, just to help the team, just, yeah, see what I can do.”

Zech Obiero said his conversation with coach Andy Crosby reminded him of the positive impact his early football experiences had on him.

He reflected on how his time at the club helped him learn the fundamentals of the game and praised the people he worked with, describing his teammates as supportive and enjoyable to play alongside.

Zech Obiero added that overall, his period at the club was highly rewarding and played a key role in shaping his development as a player.

“Yeah, good, really good. Taught me the foundations of football. I really enjoyed my time there. Really good people, teammates that I've grown up to play with. So, yeah, it was a really good time there,” he added, concerning his time at the academy at Spurs.

Speaking about his time away on loan to other clubs, Zech Obiero said: “Yeah, needed them just to learn that ugly side of the game, you know, how it is in a non-league, head it, kick it, so I really needed to learn that side, it's not about just being pretty on the ball, you've got to work hard and fight.”

Zech Obiero added that he believes the team is prepared to fight and that the manager shares the same determination, which he could sense from their conversations.

He acknowledged that every squad goes through difficult periods but emphasised that with 17 games remaining, there is ample opportunity to reverse their fortunes.

Zech Obiero expressed confidence that, with the players currently available, the team can successfully turn things around.

“Yeah, of course we can. I think the team is ready to fight. The manager is definitely ready to fight. I can hear it in the conversations that we've had,” he added.

“And you have bad patches, but there's always time to turn it around. We've got 17 games left, and we've got a lot of time to turn it around. So I think we can definitely do that with the players we have here.”