Days after leaving Uganda Premier League champions SC Villa, gifted attacking midfielder Umar Lutalo is on the hunt for his maiden professional stint in Europe, The Nerve Africa has exclusively learned.
Lutalo exited the record champions last week following the expiry of his three-year contract. He has since disclosed that his priority is European football next season, although he hasn’t ruled out joining a team on the African continent.
“Look, right now my focus is on debuting in Europe. That’s what my representatives are working on. We shall let you know soon if there’s a breakthrough. Uganda Premier League again? Well, in football, you can never say never,” Lutalo said in an exclusive phone interview.
While he didn’t hint at his possible destination, recent reports have indicated Lutalo could join his countrymate Abdul Lumala at Croatian side Slaven Belupo Koprivnica. Other reports have linked him to a move to Ethiopian Premier League giants St. George.
The 20-year-old was one of the standout performers for Villa in the recently concluded season, as they won the league championship with 57 points in 29 games. He scored eight goals and provided five assists in 22 appearances. Over his three-year spell, he played 50 league matches, scoring 12 times with 16 assists.
Lutalo has seen a significant rise in the Uganda National Senior team, the Cranes, managing three appearances in 2023. This came after excelling with various youth level teams, including the U-17 and U-20 teams. He is part of the Uganda Cranes team that was summoned to take on Botswana and Algeria in the forthcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
