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What the Bombers hope is he will return for training camp in May with his name signed to a contract for the 2018 season.
In order to achieve that goal, the Bombers are showing Muamba how much the organization has evolved. Muamba was the Blue Bombers' first overall pick in the 2011 CFL Draft. He spent three seasons in Winnipeg, where in his his final year, in 2013, he earned multiple team awards, including most outstanding player, most outstanding defensive player and most outstanding Canadian.
But as good as Muamba was, the Bombers were just as bad, finishing the 2013 season dead last in the East Division, with a record of 3-15. In the three years Muamba was in Winnipeg, the Bombers went 19-35, which left a sour taste in his mouth.
Things have changed, and the club wants to make that clear to Muamba. With a new leadership group now in place, Winnipeg has gone 23-13 over the past two seasons. ...
What makes Muamba such an important piece to the Bombers’ puzzle — and why they are going to such lengths to acquire him – is that he would not only improve what has, for years, been a struggling defence, but also fill a spot at a middle linebacker position that has underperformed for just as long. The fact he’s Canadian makes him all the more valuable, giving Winnipeg added flexibility with the ratio. ...
Winnipeg is one of just two locations Muamba is said to be scouting. He visited the Alouettes — who, like Winnipeg, are also under a new management regime (though Montreal still has the same owner in Robert Wetenhall) — last week and they gave him a similar sales pitch. But unlike the Bombers, the Alouettes are coming off another dismal season (3-15) and are currently in a heavy rebuild.
While the optics might rub some the wrong way, Muamba entitled to test the market. He’s a premier Canadian player, playing a position coveted by every team across the league. Both the Bombers and Alouettes could use him.
It helps that Muamba is coming off his best season in the CFL since he last played for the Bombers. As a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he finished the 2017 season with 82 tackles in 17 games and was named the team’s top Canadian.
One possible hitch: sources say he is dealing with knee issues. But others close to the player, some of who worked closely with him last season, say there is nothing to worry about at this stage.