Pitso Mosimane and his coaching staff will fly to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the coming days to begin a new chapter with Al-Ahli Saudi FC.
The former SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns coach shocked football fans when he resigned from the Red Devils despite winning back-to-back CAF Champions League titles during his tenure.
But now Mosimane embarks on a new journey that will bring many probing questions, with one standout question during his press conference in Sandton, Johannesburg, being whether he will entice any South African players to join him.
During his 18-month stint at Al Ahly, Mosimane oversaw the transfer of Bafana Bafana star forward Percy Tau from Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion to the Red Devils.
Tau has fallen down the pecking order since Mosimane’s departure, and the fact that he has been nursing an injury for the past two months hasn’t helped his cause.
“You don’t just go out and do things. You must assess the squad, and the game will notify you if a specific player is required in a specific position. In addition, the transfer window has now closed “Mosimane stated.
“We take what is on the table, and that is exactly what we did when we arrived at Al Ahly. We arrived after the transfer window had closed. So there is no time to complain or make excuses.
“If an opportunity arises in the next window… or perhaps in the future… we can always look around and see what we can bring. Bringing South African players into those spaces is always beneficial, but bringing South African players to the Middle East is extremely difficult. It is not an easy task.
“They must adjust because their social lives will be altered. If you need a player in Congo, Nigeria, or elsewhere in Africa, it is simple to find one… and it is also inexpensive. That is why the entire DRC is located in Morocco. There are players in Saudi Arabia as well.
“The South African market is difficult. The teams anticipate a large sum of money. That is the task. People expect R30 million to R40 million in transfers here, and players do not move.
“Clubs (in South Africa) demand what they are entitled to, and you can’t argue with that.”
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn to get the latest updates from Cape Town Tribune
