The president has spoken: Sundowns are rebuilding

Mamelodi Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe is thinking long-term. Photo: Aubrey Kgakatsi/BackpagePix

Mamelodi Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe is thinking long-term. Photo: Aubrey Kgakatsi/BackpagePix

Published Jan 18, 2018

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PRETORIA – Mamelodi Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe is thinking long-term and says the Brazilians need to go through a bit of a rebuilding phase.

Motsepe was speaking at a Sundowns unveiling on Wednesday when four new signings - Uruguayan winger Gaston Sirino, left-back Siyabonga Zulu from Platinum Stars‚ Aubrey Ngoma of Cape Town City and Jeremy Brockie from SuperSport United - were paraded.

Another Platinum Stars player, exciting young winger Katlego Otladisa, has also reportedly been signed by Masandawana, although he's currently out with a long-term injury and may only join the Chloorkop-based outfit next season.

The new arrivals, proven PSL match-winners Ngoma and Brockie especially, should meet an immediate thumbs-up of approval from Sundowns fans. But there is a flip side to their arrival after Motsepe admitted that some of the club's top stars could be on the way out.

"We have to think what Sundowns are going to look like in two years‚ four years‚ six years," he said.

"Some of our current players have taken a long time and effort for us to develop. The other issue is that some players are going to leave the club.

"And that will happen‚ because players need to go and develop elsewhere. Right now two of our top players stand to leave before the end of this month‚ and that's a good thing. And that's why we have to get exceptional players to replace them," added the 'Downs boss.

Colombian marksman Leonardo Castro was already off-loaded to Kaizer Chiefs late last year while Zimbabwean winger Khama Billiat is one of those who is believed to be about to depart the 2016 African Champions, but it's not yet clear who the other player is. 

In another development, the Pretoria side has loaned out two of their foreign-born players in order to comply with the PSL foreign quota regulation.

 Ivory Coast-born striker Yannick Zakri will join Ajax Cape Town while Algerian defender Fares Hachi is off to Chippa United. It should also be noted that a handful of the club's other exports from outside of this country now possess South African citizenship, having been playing their trade here for more than five years.

The Tshwane team also introduced their new technical head, the Sweden-born Erik Hamren at Wednesday's press conference. 

African News Agency (ANA)

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