What will Sundowns do next as PSL's midnight transfer deadline inches closer

It usually differs from year to year.

Transfer deadline day at the Premier Soccer League’s headquarters in Parktown‚ Johannesburg‚ can either be a frenetic hive of activity or something of a damp squib.

It depends on how many desperate clubs are out there‚ seeking to finish the business of buying and selling before the door shuts on the movement of players.

On Thursday August 31, the last day of the latest transfer window and the major focus is on what Mamelodi Sundowns are going to do.

Pitso Mosimane‚ coach of the big spending club‚ has made it clear he needs a goal scoring addition to complete his list of new season purchases and the weekend transfer request handed in by SuperSport United’s Jeremy Brockie plus the ‘want-away’ attitude of Lebogang Manyama at Cape Town City cannot be coincidental.

But whether Patrice Motsepe’s cheque book‚ which has been a lot less conspicuous over the last 12 months than in previous years‚ is opened up to grant Mosimane’s wish remains to be seen.

“Usually it is the last day of the January transfer window that is a lot more hectic‚” explains the PSL’s media officer Luxolo September.

“That is much more real time.

"This time of year‚ with the season already underway‚ clubs have already done their registrations and are just tweaking their squads here and there.”

The system at the PSL offices is relatively simple.

Clubs must lodge the player’s contract with the league‚ fill in a registration form and provide a medical certificate.

If it is a transfer from another country‚ then an International Transfer Clearance is also needed.

“We have a orderly queue inside the building‚ outside the office‚" said September.

"It is a well-healed system‚ one of the best available out there‚ which has been highly commended by others.

"We have a lot of staff who are specialised in each area of the process and the registration application passes from one hand to the next to be checked.

“We do fairly well to clear the line.”

Registration used to close at 5pm but in recent years this has been changed to midnight.

“We physically close the office door at midnight.

"There have been instances in the past of clubs still in the parking lot and we have had to be firm because we cannot help them once it is past midnight.

"It is strange‚ a lot of clubs tend to pitch up around 7pm but you never know just how busy it might get.”

The concept of a transfer window was imposed by FIFA more than a decade ago.

Before that clubs could buy and sell players at any time up to a pre-determined date‚ usually some two to three months before the end of the season.

Now they can register players in July and August and again in January.

But if a player is out of contract‚ he is considered a free agent and can be signed and registered at any time‚ even if it is the last day of the season. - TimesLIVE

Source: TMG Digital.