Wits prepared for life after Keet, will definitely be competitive next season

Darren Keet (right) in goal for Bidvest Wits against Mamelodi Sundowns at Bidvest Stadium. Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Darren Keet (right) in goal for Bidvest Wits against Mamelodi Sundowns at Bidvest Stadium. Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Published Jun 27, 2019

Share

DURBAN – Bidvest Wits have now made peace with the fact that they are losing Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Darren Keet.

Keet’s contract with the Clever Boys comes to an end in a few days and indications are strong that he is on his way out as no negotiations have been held about his future with the club.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Clever Boys, Jose Ferreira, admitted this week that Wits are preparing for life without Keet.

“Darren Keet’s contract expires at the end of June. He is with Bafana Bafana right now and when his contract is up, he is free to sign with any club of his choice,” Ferreira said.

The talented goalkeeper is said to be keen on pursuing his career in Europe. He has been central to the Clever Boys set-up for the past three seasons. Two seasons ago he was in goal when the team captured the league title and the MTN8 crown. Keet enjoyed a trophy-laden spell in his second stint with Wits having also added the Telkom Knockout crown in the list of achievements.

The Fantastic Four have been selected for the provisional #BafanaBafana #Afcon2019 squad! 🇿🇦

Congratulations Keet, Hlatshwayo (c), Mkhwanazi & Hlanti 💪 #BidvestWits🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/KdRRYHT1JU

— Bidvest Wits (@BidvestWits) May 21, 2019

Word from the Wits boardroom is that the club bosses are not too concerned about Keet’s imminent departure.

“We’ve made adequate provisions if he leaves us. We’ve signed Bradon Peterson from Ajax Cape Town, we have Brighton Mhlongo and Ricardo Goos who has done well for us in the last few games of the season,” Ferreira added.

“We are quite happy with our goalkeeping department and we are confident that they will be at the level that we are expecting them to be at,” Ferreira said.

As part of their preparations for the new season, Wits have released players that they deemed surplus for their new plans. They released striker Lehlohonolo Majoro, Bantu Mzwakali, Vuyo Mere and Daylon Classen.

The Clever Boys' top three finish last season will certainly justify their ambitions to fight for the lucrative league title.

Darren Keet is currently with Bafana Bafana at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Finals in Egypt. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Said Ferreira: “I feel we should have done better. We did well at the start of the season. Before the season started, if you said to us, you would finish third, we would have taken it. It was always going to be a difficult season considering the number of new players that we brought in.

Yes, I’m disappointed that we didn’t finish better after starting on a positive note. It is going to be difficult for a club like us to compete because of budget constraints but we’ve managed to do it in the past.

We will be competitive again. I don’t have any doubts about that.”

@Minenhlecr7

 

The Mercury

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Related Topics: