The former Lincoln City boss drew the first game of his Swindon tenure this weekend, relying on a goal from their only shot on target to earn a draw with League Two new boys Chesterfield. Ironically, it was with Chesterfield that Tshimanga made a name for himself, before his move to Posh.
Kennedy admitted Swindon have made an attempt to sign the 27-year-old, who scored 33 times in just 53 appearances for the Spireities between 2021 and 2023.
“We would love to have him,” said Kennedy, who has previously coached Macclesfield in League Two. “We would like to bring him in if we could, I don’t see the point in hiding that.
“I would imagine that we are one of a load of people looking at him, he has a great goalscoring record and people have paid a lot of money for him.
“I am not sure what has gone on there, it is none of my business, and like all good strikers, if someone like him is available then we are 100 per cent in for him. He is somebody that we really like.”
The interest is not fresh news as such; journalist Pete O’Rourke confirmed the Robins were looking to make a loan move for the player, but this is the first time it has been confirmed by Kennedy, who takes his side to face Crawley in the League Cup this evening.
The striker is on the transfer list at London Road, as is customary for players entering the final year of their contract with Posh. Despite hitting 138 goals in 325 senior appearances, Tshimanga has struggled for form recently. He has not scored in 13 outings for Posh, and managed just two in 20 games on loan at Fleetwood last season. However, he did score four in six for Boreham Wood in a second loan spell at the end of the campaign as they sought to retain their place in the National League.
Writer’s View
Sometimes, a player just cannot step up. In the National League, Ricky Miller is a great example of someone prolific in the fifth tier but not able to step up. In the Championship, Britt Assombalonga and Dwight Gayle are great examples. All of those strikers have passed through Peterborough.
Tshimanga is an odd one. He seems to have all the right attributes—pace, a bit of power, and a keen eye for goal—but they have not worked out for him in the Football League. He’s been immense in the lower reaches of the pyramid, showing prolific tendencies at Boston, Boreham Wood and Oxford City, but he simply hasn’t done it in the EFL.
Kennedy’s assertion that Tshimanga has a ‘great goalscoring record’ is subjective, given that those goals have come (mostly) a division or two below where Swindon are now. Also, if Kennedy’s sides continue to provide low xG, as he did at Lincoln and in his first Swindon game, any striker will struggle for goals.
