Bax seeks new intakes
Pours cold water on a prized catch
SUPERSPORT United coach Stuart Baxter says injuries may force the club into the transfer market in January‚ but has played down talk of a move for Mandla Masango‚ who is training with the team.
Baxter admits he would jump at the chance to sign the Bafana Bafana winger‚ who was a key player for him in his two league championship successes while at Kaizer Chiefs.
But he also questions whether SuperSport would have the budget‚ or the ability to fight off the other heavyweights in the Premier Soccer League for the 27year-old‚ who is currently out in the cold at Danish club Randers.
The winter break is in force in Denmark with the league only resuming in February and Baxter says Masango has joined his squad to train to keep his weight in check.
“Mandla is training with us‚ I love him to bits‚ he’s a great lad‚” said Baxter.
“I have followed him in Denmark‚ but he is training with us to keep himself fit.
“If I could get Mandla I would do it in a heartbeat.
“But I am being very honest with you now‚ I’m saying to him‚ ‘you can train with us to keep yourself fit’ because he has got a career there and he doesn’t want to put weight on.
“If the situation came where Mandla Masango wanted to leave his Danish club‚ and we had something like a budget‚ then I would be interested.
“But probably Chiefs‚ Pirates‚ Sundowns and every other club in the country would be as well.”
But Baxter is hoping for “one or two” new arrivals in the January transfer window‚ though he suggests they will not be headline-makers‚ but rather bodies to add depth to his squad.
“You ask any coach approaching any window‚ he will always give you the classic‚ ‘we are always on the look-out in the market‚ blah‚ blah‚ blah’.
“The truth is that our budget does not allow us to do loads of things.
“We are not a Chiefs‚ Pirates or Sundowns that has loads of money in the kitty almost all the time.
“But you are also talking to a coach who has had 17 fit players for the last three games.
“Bash [Onismor Bhasera] has just done a hamstring as well‚ so‚ yes I would love to get in one or two‚ but will they be household names and will we be paying the kind of money that [Brazilian international] Oscar is making in China? No we won’t.
“I don’t think I will be making many headlines for you‚ but we must be looking because of situation with injuries‚” he said.
SuperSport play their final game of 2016 at home to Polokwane City tomorrow and could end the year top of the league if they win and other results go their way. — TMG Digital