DURBAN – It took Cape Town City 72 hours to sign Bafana Bafana marksman Kermit Erasmus.
The hitman penned a two-and-a-half year deal with the Citizens.
City chairman, John Comitis, explained that the presence of coach Benni McCarthy made it easy for his club to capture the signature of Erasmus.
“It literally took us 72 hours to complete the deal with Kermit. He had two options. We met his financial offer. As you know any deal takes it on procedure.
We had to follow that procedure. Kermit has already made up his mind. Having Benni as the coach made it easier to get Kermit,” Comitis explained.
The 28-year-old didn’t enjoy the best of stays in Europe since leaving Orlando Pirates in 2016. He played in France, Sweden and Portugal.
In 2016 Erasmus joined French outfit Rennes. He was then loaned out to Lens in 2017. After failing to make the grade in France, he moved to Sweden where he joined AFC Eskilstuna at the start of the year. He was last on the books of Vitoria Setubal of Portugal.
“We all know what Kermit is capable of. We won’t put any unnecessary added pressure on him. He knows that he needs to step up. We want him to find the back of the net and we will be happy,” he added.
Even @Springboks captain Siya Kolisi joined in on the action! 💙 #iamCityFC pic.twitter.com/Z393rKfW6F
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) December 13, 2018
City have developed a reputation of signing top players from Europe. They did this with Ayanda Patosi, Surprise Ralani and Peter Leeuwenburgh. City also signed Gift Links from Egypt.
“Our PSL pays good salaries. We pay some of the salaries that small teams or countries don’t offer in Europe. That’s why it is now easy to attract European-based players.
“Our league is now quality. So, why must a player stay in Europe whereas he knows that he is going to be well paid in South Africa. It is no longer like before now,” Comitis explained.
Comitis also opened up about the future of Tokelo Rantie.
“We haven’t terminated his contract. He has some personal problems that he needs to sort out. We’ve given him a breathing space. We are supporting him but at the end of the day it is all up to him. It is difficult for him to focus at this stage,” Comitis elaborated.
Rantie joined City in the middle of the season after taking a break from football for almost 18 months. He was expected to dazzle the City fans but never got an opportunity to make his debut.
City will close the year against Bloemfontein Celtic next week at home.