Durban — Cape Town City announced their signing of Mamelodi Sundowns defender Lyle Lakay on a season long loan on Thursday evening.
The 31-year-old returns to the Cape Town based club after representing them in the 2017/18 season before darting off to the Brazilians.
Lakay's decision to depart Sundowns comes as a huge surprise following a hugely successful 2021/22 campaign where he notched up the Defender of the Season accolade while also placing himself in the national team picture.
The Cape Town-born defender revealed his joy at joining the Citizens as he relishes the opportunity to continue playing in the CAF Champions league.
"It's great feeling to be back, I'm excited for the rest of the season," said Lakay.
✍ | Cape Town City can confirm that Lyle Lakay has joined on loan from Mamelodi Sundowns until the end of the season.
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) September 22, 2022
Join us as we welcome back our very own, Lyle Lakay! 🚀#iamCityFC pic.twitter.com/J4SXDg9uQQ
"Obviously Cape Town City is an ambitious club and that's one of the reasons I was interested in coming here. They're in the Champions League and that's where the big fish play so I'm looking forward to contributing to the success of the club."
Eric Tinkler, City’s coach, feels Lakay's know-how will make him a worthy addition to his squad and will also fill the void left by Terrance Mashego, one of their most important players last season, who has left the club.
"We're very excited to have signed Lyle Lakay, he's a player with a lot of experience and a player that's been at the club before," said Tinkler
"He suits us in terms of how we play and a fantastic replacement for Terrence Mashego, who's recently joined Mamelodi Sundowns."
Lakay's opportunities have been limited since the beginning of the season as Aubrey Modiba has made the left-back spot his own and with Bafana Bafana international Mashego arriving, so it only makes sense that the versatile Lakay sought other options.
IOL Sport