Simba coach Fadlu Davids kept his cards close to his chest when asked about his future with the club after the NBC Tanzanian Premier League title agonizingly slipped away from his side on the final matchday of the season.

Following a flawless campaign until the end, the Reds of Msimbazi had to witness their archrivals, Young Africans, lift a record-extending fourth consecutive league title with a 2-0 win at their expense in the Kariakoo derby at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Wednesday.

The South African mentor managed to guide Simba to a total of 78 points in his debut season with the club, having notched up a remarkable 25 wins, three draws, and just two defeats – both of them coming in the famed fixture against Yanga.

In the wake of the heartbreak, Davids sent a strong message to the club’s hierarchy, stating the need to have crunch talks to see if their working relationship can continue, based on the outcome of the season review meeting.

“It’s very disappointing [to miss out on the league title] but we have to sit down with the management and see if they have the ambition to match mine, can we move forward, are we going to strengthen the correct way because you can see the squad we have has a good foundation,” he said.

“But we definitely need more power, more mentality, more big-match quality type of players to be able to get to this level and above. We put the foundations in, but we really have to sit down with the management and see what the future holds.”

While his side might have gone trophyless, the 44-year-old tactician insists he overachieved with the relatively young squad he had to work with. 

Moreover, the former Orlando Pirates co-coach highlighted the fact that he didn’t recruit a host of players at his disposal as he found them in place.

“If I have to be honest, I said we overachieved this season with a new team, with a young team, getting to this stage to challenge Yanga all the way. But like I said it was the foundation block this season,” Davids added.

“Most of the players were signed by the club before I came. I made two or three signings, [Elie] Mpanzu, [Leonel] Ateba, and [Moussa] Camara. So, now we have to sit down and see what is possible and what is not possible.

“A huge thank you to the president of Simba, Mohammed Dewji, for the fantastic person he is, who has a huge vision, but it’s blocked. Also, thank you to the fans, they have been absolutely fantastic from the first day that I stepped into here.”

When pressed on whether the Simba fans can expect to see him in the dugout next season, Davids, who, reportedly, turned down AS FAR of Morocco in January, swiftly gave a vague response: 

“We will see,” he concluded.

With his exploits and evident tactical nous, in what was his first-ever sole head coach role in his career, there is no doubt Davids will have several suitors already courting him across the continent ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.