Marumo Gallants midfielder Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo has one year left on his contract but is likely to remain at the club this season, head coach Romain Folz suggested.
Ndlondlo pulled out another midfield masterclass despite being on the losing side as he was awarded the Man of the Match honour after the 1-0 defeat at Orlando Stadium.
This comes off the back of an incredible 2021/22 season where they finished as Nedbank Cup finalists to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup and he was central to their success with nine goals in 38 games across all competitions.
AmaZulu and Orlando Pirates were among the clubs bandied about in terms of interest during the off-season but with Ndlondlo continuing his upward trajectory, it might not be long before more interest sparks.
“Look there will be people interested in our players, it’s a good sign, it means we’re doing good with them and you’re developing them to a point where they interest other people,” Folz said in response to iDiski Times in the post-match press conference.
“My point being, if and when. Not if, when we turn things around and actually get the result we deserve, I see that as a good thing, as much as people are interested in our players, I think us being able to perform and get the results that we want, there’s no reason for anyone to leave.
“My point, with Phillip, has one year left on his contract, we’ll see how it goes, if his desire is to stay, I’m more than happy for him to stay with us. If his desire is to leave, which I don’t think is the case then we’ll discuss, but I envision him staying the season with us and we’ll see what happens after.
“But he’s doing really well but as much as he’s doing well, the results, collectively aren’t following yet. So let’s put that good performance to the benefit of the team and if everyone gets to do good performances individually then I’m sure the collective is going to benefit from it in the end.”
Ndlondlo was previously on the books of Usuthu in the 2017/18 season but failed to make the grade before being snapped up by TTM and subsequently remained at Gallants after the status purchase.