Born to Zambian parents in Lusaka, Jack Kalichi Lahne emerged as a prospective asset for the Chipolopolo in the years to come. Presently back to his parent club, Amiens SC, last year after four years on loan, playing for club's in Sweden, Bulgaria, Hungary and Norway and recovering from a long injury.
Kalichi Lahne, a promising talent who was adopted by a Swedish couple at an early age after the death of his mother, is making great strides as a standout performer this season in the French Ligue 2.
Meanwhile, some Chipolopolo supporters remained dissatisfied with the team's frontline performance during the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). While Patson Daka, Fashion Sakala and Kennedy Musonda displayed decent performances, they lacked the creativity in keeping the ball at their feet and linking up the play with their onrushing teammates to unleash dangerous shots in the box.
To tackle this issue, Zambian fans have been eagerly anticipating the emergence of a new creative all-round striker whose focus is mainly to bang-in the goals and Kalichi Lahne seems to fit the bill perfectly.
“To play for the country I was born in is something I really want to do,” he said.
The former Sweden U17 and U19 national team goal-hanger also revealed that he follows the Zambian national team and he's familiar with some players like Edward Chilufya, who currently plays for BK Hacken in Sweden.
“I’ve been following the Zambian team. I followed the team during the AFCON, and I have friends who play for other African teams who told me a lot about them,” he said.
“And yes, I know one player, Edward [Chilufya], who plays in Sweden. I know it’s a young and talented team with a lot of speed.”
Lahne revealed that DR Congo and the former Chelsea FC midfielder, who now plays for Amiens SC, told him he would be a good fit for the Zambian team.
“One of my teammates here at Amiens, Gael Kakuta, told me that Zambia plays my kind of football. He said they’ve got a lot of speed, and that I can fit in well.”
Meanwhile, with the Chipolopolo experiencing a shortage of attackers obsessed with scoring goals and nothing else, having only selected four forwards (Lameck Banda, Patson Daka, Kennedy Musonda, Fashion Sakala) for the AFCON 2023 from a 27-man roster, the addition of a deadly marksman like Kalichi Lahne could significantly enhance the team's prospects in forthcoming competitions.
However, Kalichi Lahne is waiting for the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to contact him again as he is bent on switching allegiances after talks came to s standstill two seasons ago due to an injury.
By: Pascal Amoah
