Ajax coach hopes for ex-SA player Gaxa deal

AJAX Cape Town coach Muhsin Ertugral remains hopeful of a deal for former Bafana Bafana international right-back Siboniso Gaxa to join the club‚ but he believes it will be three more weeks before the player is ready for action.

Gaxa has been training with Ajax after leaving Bidvest Wits at the end of last season‚ and was expected to play in a friendly match against touring Swedish side Djurgardens yesterday.

“A player like Siboniso is an international who played in Europe and having him on the sidelines [without a club] – I don’t understand it,” Ertugral said.

“I would love to have him as quickly as possible and he is training with us.

“But, since October, he has had no game time at all‚ so it will probably take him two or three weeks at least to get to a certain level.” Ertugral is also cautious about trying to push Gaxa into service too quickly‚ if he does eventually sign for the club.

“We will play him [yesterday], at least one half‚ so that he gets some game time‚ but . . . when players have not been involved‚ the injury factor can happen and so I am a little bit cautious about that.”

Gaxa is a free agent and therefore is not bound by the transfer window.

Ertugral wants to bring him in to provide experience at the back‚ having been critical of the defending of right wingback Sirgio Kammies, 20, recently.

Ajax have already signed Tendai Ndoro and Zimbabwean midfielder Gerald Takwara in this transfer window‚ while they are also waiting on a work permit for Ivorian forward Yannick Zakri following his loan move from Mamelodi Sundowns.