Kenya Ports Authority volleyball team face a herculean task to replace opposite player Enock Mogeni who has signed for the Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler team in Japan.
The national men's team Wafalme attacker traveled to Japan last month to finalise the deal and won't feature for the coastal side in the coming 2022-23 season.
Miyoshi features in the Japanese Volleyball League One, which is the top tier in the volleyball-mad country.
Mogeni, 24, will take part in the pre-season with the rest of the squad and will likely feature in the new season starting on October 27.
KPA coach Sammy Mulinge admitted the gap left by Mogeni will be hard to fill but clarified that the team is doing everything to plug the holes in the squad.
"We knew he was leaving and we aren't surprised. However, his quality is unmatched and finding a like-for-like replacement will be a tall order," Mulinge said.
Mulinge guided the national women's beach volleyball team to their historic maiden Olympic appearance in Tokyo.
"It will take time to re-establish Mogeni but we have to be patient in the quest to get players with the right character. We have to get the right attacker to work in tandem with Peter Kamara."
He went on: "Japan is on another level and Mogeni will get even better and be integral for both club and country. He's young and has a long way to go."
KPA finished second behind reigning champions General Service Unit who bagged a fifth straight title during the playoffs.
The duo also booked automatic tickets to next year's African Clubs Championship and will be joined by the fast-rising Trail Blazers who finished third in their debut season.
At the same time, Mulinge has made a rallying call to the management of the club to reward players with contracts for motivation and to ward off mounting interest from their talented athletes.
"These players have placed KPA where it is today and they deserve to be treated better. We have to avoid losing players."
