Salmon upset at Downs’ ‘tap-up’

@Mihlalibaleka BIDVEST Wits’ reserve team coach Glen Salmon is not pleased with the manner in which Mamelodi Sundowns recruited midfielder Muhammed Carrim from them at the end of last season. Salmon is adamant the Brazilians ‘tapped-up’ the versatile player.

“I am not happy with how Carrim moved to Sundowns. I don’t think it was right from Sundowns’ side. He was in our future plans to play for our Diski team.” Salmon said. “Players mustn’t be stolen from us because that’s not the idea of junior football. Sundowns spoke to Carrim, and said he should go there. When you want a player they should speak to us (management) so that we can agree or decline.”

On the other hand, Salmon is happy for striker Sizwe Twala, who’s recently moved to Chiefs because he was not in the club’s future plans. Although they could only manage a 12th finish in the log standings last campaign, Twala played an important role in inspiring striker Molahlehi Khunyedi to be one of the finalists for the Player of Year gong.

“I am happy with the current squad, this is a new challenge,” he insisted. “Sizwe is a great player, and I love him. But I’ve got no problem with him going because I want them to step up, whether it’s for Chiefs or Supersport United. In our structures, he wasn’t going to go to the first team, so it was only good for the player to move on.”

Following their 1-0 home victory over Cape Town City on Sunday, the 40-year-old coach also explained that their main aim as Wits’ junior team is merely to groom players for the first team and not necessarily to win the Diski Challenge.

“It was very nice of them to get a win, it takes the pressure off,” Salmon insisted. “Our club is very different from other clubs, we are only about development. We just hope to give these players around two to three years because I believe they’ll eventually become good players.”