Kings Kangwa has left Hapoel Be'er Sheva for Panathinaikos, and the Zambian midfielder wasted no time thanking the fans of his new club before he had even kicked a ball for them.
ONE reports that the Greek giants paid around €4 million to sign the 27-year-old, who put pen to paper on a four-year contract running through the summer of 2030. He was due in Athens on Friday for a medical and to formally sign the deal.
"I want to thank Panathinaikos fans for all the warm words they're saying about me," Kangwa said in his first interview with Greek outlet SDNA, as relayed by ONE. "I will give my best to repay the faith they are giving me."
He added that he was "very happy and excited" about joining "a big club like Panathinaikos" and said he "cannot wait to meet my new teammates and start playing for the club."
The move brings down the curtain on a spectacular season and a half in Be'er Sheva for Kangwa, who arrived from Red Star Belgrade in July 2024 and quickly established himself as one of the standout performers in the Israeli Premier League, earning the division's Footballer of the Year award after a 12-goal campaign from midfield.
According to ONE, the transfer was finalised only after Be'er Sheva's Champions League qualifying playoff against Icelandic champions Vikingur Reykjavik, in which Kangwa scored the club's goal in a hard-fought first leg. AEK Athens had also been tracking him, but Panathinaikos moved first to beat their rivals to his signature.
Kangwa's departure leaves a considerable creative gap for Be'er Sheva to fill as they continue their European campaign, but for the player himself it marks a step up to one of Greek football's traditional powers, backed by a vocal support base he was already courting before his first training session in Athens.
