Hamzad Kargbo: Inverness CT complete free transfer for 1.98m striker from Maidstone United

Contract start: 2026-07-04 Contract end: Unknown

Inverness Caledonian Thistle have completed the signing of centre-forward Hamzad Kargbo from Maidstone United on a free transfer, in a move that takes the England- and Sierra Leone-eligible striker into the Scottish Championship. The deal, registered as a standard transfer, sees the 24-year-old leave the National League South side to join Inverness CT with no fee involved and no listed market valuation at the time of the move.

Kargbo arrives in the Highlands as a recognised centre-forward, listed primarily as an attacking player through the middle and preferring his right foot. Standing at 1.98 metres, he offers Inverness a pronounced aerial and physical presence at the top end of the pitch, with the club recruiting him directly from Maidstone in Englands sixth tier into the second tier of Scottish football.

Born on 20 Jan 2002, Kargbo holds dual nationality with England and Sierra Leone, and is recorded with nationalities of England, Sierra Leone and a combined England/Sierra Leone designation. His move to Inverness represents a clear shift in his career trajectory, taking him from the English non-league system into a professional environment where he will be operating abroad in Scotland rather than in his country of footballing development.

The striker joins Inverness after a short spell at Maidstone United, whom he joined from free-agent status. He became a Maidstone player following a move from Newport County, where he had initially signed from Queens Park Rangers under-21 side. Before that, his formative years were spent within the QPR system, progressing from the clubs academy into the under-18s and then up to the under-21 squad.

Kargbos career to date has already included exposure to a variety of levels in the English pyramid. While on QPRs books, he had loan spells at Southend United and Oxford City, both in the English system, before a loan to Chippenham Town from Newport County. Each of those moves has kept him within England until now; Inverness CT marks his first club outside the country where he came through the academy ranks.

The forwards recent past also includes a period without a club, with his departure from Newport County leading to a stint as a free agent before Maidstone picked him up. That background underlines a career path that has featured both academy football at a Championship club and the more volatile realities of lower-league and non-league contracts, including temporary loans and short-term stays.

No recent match details, goal tallies or appearance statistics are listed for Kargbo in the current data, and no transfer-market valuation is attached to his move to Inverness. However, the sequence of transfers from QPRs youth ranks through Southend, Oxford City, Newport County, Chippenham Town, a spell without a club and then Maidstone points to a player who has consistently remained within professional and semi-professional structures.

Kargbo is now registered as an Inverness CT player, with his current club listed as Inverness CT and his national team affiliation shown as Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC. With his contract beginning on 2026-07-04 and no public end date recorded, the move gives the tall centre-forward a stable base in the Scottish Championship, where his performances in a different footballing landscape will help determine how far his career and reputation can progress from here.