With a contractual dispute looming between midfielder Keagan Dolly and Mamelodi Sundowns, his coach Pitso Mosimane believes the 23-year-old is some way off from being ready for a move abroad.
Dolly’s agent is reportedly frantically trying to secure a move to Europe for the Bafana Bafana man - efforts which have up to now been blocked by the Sundowns hierarchy, who claim they made a mistake in their evaluation of the players’ buy-out clause and have referred the matter to the Premier Soccer League’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC). It is believed that the club has received an offer of just over R12-million for Dolly from Greek side Olympiakos, but want to change the figures in the players’ current contract to force him to stay. Mosimane did not make direct reference to this saga, but following Sundowns’ 2-1 win over Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon, the coach argued that Dolly was not ready to leave the Brazilians.
“I don’t know, but this is the way I see it,” said Mosimane in reiterating that the winger needed at least two more seasons in South Africa. “I am in touch with the world. I am in touch with what is going on in Europe and I look at my players. Look, you can never know whether it is right or wrong (to move abroad) until the player is actually there. It doesn’t mean I am right. But if I am wrong, why is (Bongani) Zungu not playing? He needed one more year.”
Mosimane appears to be facing a similar challenge with Dolly as he did early last season when Portuguese club Vitoria de Guimaraes came knocking for the services of midfielder Zungu. Sundowns refused to sell him for a profit, but the player did not renew his contract at the end of the season, allowing him to walk away as a free agent in May. He has so far made only two appearances since moving to Portugal. Dolly, however, would not have Zungu’s luxury given that he still has a contract with Sundowns until 2018.
“Our players are still young. Keagan needs one or two more years before we can talk about moving overseas. He can go because everyone wants him, but he is not a product that’s ready for Europe yet,” Mosimane explained. “Sometimes he passes when he is supposed to dribble or he dribbles when he is supposed to pass. Zungu needed to stabilise and go to Zamalek in the African Champions League away from home in front of 70 000 fans. South African players are a year or two behind compared the rest of the world. But maybe when they go to Scandinavia or Belgium it’s okay.”
The Sundowns coach used the example of former Kaizer Chiefs and Zimbabwean striker Knowledge Musona, who joined German Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim over five years ago but struggled in his first season and was loaned out to FC Augsburg in the same league as well as back to Chiefs a few months later until he was eventually sold to Belgian club KV Oostende in January last year to revive his career. He has scored seven goals in 14 matches so far this season and will in all likelihood spearhead the Zimbabwean attack at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Musona just got his form this year and last year,” said Mosimane. “For three years he didn’t play football and he is a terrific player. Andile Jali (also at Oostende since January 2014) is still struggling, let’s be honest. Thulani Serero (at Ajax Amsterdam) is not playing. But people want to see our players overseas because they say we are holding them back. I have been there. I have played there and I know what is needed.”
Follow Mazola Molefe on Twitter@superjourno
The Star