Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena has explained why his side signed Terrence Mashego despite the left-back not being identified as a position they needed to strengthen.
Mashego, 24, joined Masandawana from Cape Town City last week and already made his debut for the club over the weekend.
Many were left surprised why Downs went after the Bafana Bafana International when they have three players to cover the same position, namely Lyle Lakay – who is now expected to complete a loan move to City – Aubrey Modiba and Sifiso Ngobeni.
Mokwena admitted that initially the left-back position was not on the club’s list to strengthen but they changed their mind when they heard that “special talent” Mashego was on the market.
“The transfer market is a very strange thing at the moment,” he told reporters.
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“A lot of the clubs from a financial perspective are in a sort of precarious position and the left-back was not a position we thought we needed to strengthen when going into the new season.
“And we would have loved to have our business sorted by now but the reality is that when special players – and Terrence is a special player because he plays for the national team – when special players in a certain way are put on the market and become available you have to check whether all the boxes are ticked and he ticks a lot of the boxes.
“Not necessarily because there is a decline from any of the left-backs but because the reality is a special talent became available in the market and then he fits the methodology, the style of play, he fits the personality and then, of course, he’s got the emotional connotation to Sundowns and to Mamelodi.
“That then says to you when that type of talent is available in the market you have to go for it because a talent that goes to strengthen a rival and makes them stronger.
“So we’ve welcomed Terrence and we’re happy to have him, but at the same time we know that we can’t have too many players and in this moment the biggest business of Mamelodi Sundowns is how do we trim the squad and who do we let go of?”
Mashego is Downs fifth high-profile arrival this window after Ronwen Williams, Sipho Mbule, Marcelo Allende and Bongani Zungu, while Abubeker Nasir also completed his move and defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil is still waiting on whether he can be registered or not.
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