Newly-promoted Kanchanaburi Power are making waves in Thai football with a squad that looks built not only to survive but to potentially disrupt the Thai League 1 elite. The club, promoted after winning the 2023/24 Thai League 2 play-offs, have announced a trio of headline-grabbing signings: Luxembourg international Gerson Rodrigues, former Fulham striker Aboubakar Kamara, and ex-Premier League veteran Andros Townsend.
The three will spearhead a bold project alongside a host of fresh arrivals with deep experience across Thai and Southeast Asian football. Their presence signals Kanchanaburi’s intent to gatecrash the established order of Buriram United, BG Pathum United, True Bangkok United, Port FC, and Muangthong United.
This isn’t the first time a newly-promoted Thai side has gone big in the transfer market. Lamphun Warriors famously brought in ex-Barcelona man Jeffrén Suárez and former Aston Villa defender Aly Cissokho in their debut top-flight campaign of 2022/23, while Uthai Thani followed suit the next season with Iraq international Jiloan Hamad, ex-J.League striker Ricardo Santos, and Burmese star Aung Thu. Both clubs also stacked their squads with recognizable domestic names, banking on both pedigree and familiarity.
But in terms of scale and ambition, Kanchanaburi Power’s recruitment dwarfs them all.
The club have kept much of their promotion-winning core intact, but layered on significant top-flight experience. Peerapat Notechaiya, Kittipong Phuthawchueak, Nattawut Sombatyotha, Santipap Ratniyom, and Pawee Tanthatemee bring proven quality, while Port loanee Tanasith Siripala adds depth on the wings. They join existing stalwarts like Chenrop Samphaodi, Parinya Utapao, last season’s top scorer Kritsana Kasemkulvilai, and Thai football legend Suchao Nuchnum.
On the foreign front, Mohamed Mara has been retained, while new imports expand the club’s horizons. Ewerton, a seasoned campaigner from Portugal’s Portimonense and briefly with Hanoi FC, and Spanish winger Alain Oyarzun add international pedigree. Mehdi Tahrat, who played in France’s Ligue 2 with Troyes, bolsters the backline. Their ASEAN quota is equally impressive, with Singaporean duo Ryhan Stewart and Anumanthan Kumar, Filipino pair Diego Bardanca and John Lucero, and Malaysia’s Sergio Aguero all arriving. Layered on top of this are the marquee additions of Rodrigues, Kamara, and Townsend — names with genuine global recognition.
The biggest question mark, however, lies in the dugout. New head coach Alongkorn Thong-am, just 41, has little experience at the helm of a star-studded squad. His most recent head coach role was a brief 11-game spell with Krabi FC in Thai League 2 back in 2023. Yet, the presence of technical director Dusit Chalermsan — the architect of BG Pathum United’s 2020/21 league title and Kanchanaburi’s promotion last season — suggests that the blueprint is already in place, with Alongkorn tasked to execute it.
Early signs are encouraging. In their first two matches of the season, Kanchanaburi have drawn both, holding last year’s fourth-placed Ratchaburi FC to a 1-1 draw on opening day before battling to a thrilling 3-3 draw with runners-up True Bangkok United, narrowly denied victory by a late Richairo Živković equalizer.
It is still far too early to tell whether Kanchanaburi can truly crack into Thailand’s upper echelon. But with a squad brimming with international pedigree, local experience, and attacking flair, coupled with Dusit’s guiding hand, the Power are already proving they won’t be in Thai League 1 just to make up the numbers. If the pieces fall into place, this could be the start of a remarkable story — one where Kanchanaburi Power go from newcomers to genuine challengers.