Ngele and Malajila do not want to go back to Sundowns‚ says Hunt

28 May 2017 - 14:47 By Marc Strydom
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Bidvest Wits head coach Gavin Hunt reacts during the Absa Premiership match against Mamelodi Sundowns at Bidvest Stadium on May 01, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Bidvest Wits head coach Gavin Hunt reacts during the Absa Premiership match against Mamelodi Sundowns at Bidvest Stadium on May 01, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Image: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

New Absa Premiership champions Bidvest Wits will lose on-loan players Mogakolodi Ngele and Cuthbert Malajila back to Mamelodi Sundowns‚ coach Gavin Hunt has said‚ revealing the Brazilians asked for “double figures” million prices to buy the duo.

Hunt said Wits will make every effort to retain the core of their championship squad for next season‚ with most players tied up in contracts.

He said‚ with the South African market overpriced‚ Wits will again look for players on free transfers‚ and cast their net outside the country for signings.

  • Champions Wits lift PSL title despite Chiefs defeat Bidvest Wits came to pick up the Absa Premiership trophy, but could not bag a win with it on Saturday, having to settle for a 1-0 defeat against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium. 

On Malajila and Ngele‚ who Sundowns have stated their intention to bring back to Chloorkop‚ Hunt said: “The players are going back. Sundowns want double figures (in millions) for them.

“At this point in time‚ they don’t want to go back‚ but they’ll go back. They have a contract and that was part of the deal.”

Hunt said Wits will continue looking for sensible deals bringing players in during the off-season.

“We’re going to lose a few more players. There are a few going already. So that’s another problem‚” he said.

“And it is a problem‚ because if you look at the local market‚ and I said to somebody yesterday‚ ‘If you give somebody R100 million‚ who are you going to buy in South Africa?’

  • “I would fire myself‚” says beleaguered Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve KomphelaSteve Komphela clearly feels he deserves‚ and also quite obviously yearns for‚ a chance to prove himself in a third season at Kaizer Chiefs after two without a trophy‚ even if he has admitted “I would fire myself”. 

“Because you don’t want to pay prices like that‚ and spend ridiculous money on players. And we don’t do that.

“So it’s very difficult to acquire players. We have to look‚ like we do‚ in the free market and try and build up the right players.

“But it doesn’t always work. And you’re fortunate to get one or two‚ like we did.

“There are a lot of teams who I think need rebuilding in South Africa‚ and where are they going to get players from if you look around the league?

“So‚ ja‚ we’ve got three or four candidates who we have really tried to get. We’ve been working on that for the last month or so. But it’s not really happening at this stage.

“We’re keeping most of our players – we’ve got pretty much all of our players tied up so they’ll be with us next season‚ hopefully.

“But to get one or two in is difficult in this market. So we have to look outside‚ I’m sorry to say.”

- TMG Digital/TMG Sport

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now