Champions Wits lose on-loan pair but coach unfazed

NEW Absa Premiership champions Bidvest Wits will lose on-loan players Mogakolodi Ngele and Cuthbert Malajila back to Mamelodi Sund 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

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.

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.

“They don’t want to go back‚ but tied up in contracts. 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?’

“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.”