What the Siya crew has been told…

It did come at somewhat of a surprise when Royal AM sold Victor Letsoalo to Sekhukhune United, after both Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates had been chasing the player.

Thwihli Thwahla, however, found themselves between a rock and a hard place after the player made it clear to them that he wanted to leave and rejected signing a contract extension as he hoped for his big Glamour Boys move.

In fact, Letsoalo was set to see his contract with Royal AM expire in June of 2023 and in an effort to not lose the talented striker on a free next year, they sold him to fit part of the debt due to the monies owed to Babina Noko following the Court of Arbi-tration for Sport’s ruling earlier this year from the dispute about the 2020/21 season PSL promotion.

Sekhukhune paid around R3 million for Letsoalo, as reported by Soccer Laduma, despite reports that the club was looking to fetch R20 million for his signature.

But a future move to Chiefs is still on the cards, if the player is to get his way, the Siya crew has been informed!

The Naturena-based outfit have shown serious interest in the Bafana Bafana international since January. Head coach Arthur Zwane and the club’s head of technical and youth development academy, Molefi Ntseki, are believed to be admirers of the player and were punting to bring the 29-year-old on board.

Although Amakhosi have put an emphasis on a younger average age in the squad, in certain situations they are open to adding players who can have an immediate effect on the team as seen most recently with the arrival of Siyethemba Sithebe (29) and Zitha Kwinika (28). And Letsoalo knows this. While the Ga-Thaba born player has signed a three-year deal with Babina Noko, he is aiming to use the move as a gateway to his dream move to the Soweto giants, knowing very well that the club wanted him but were put off by the hefty price tag reportedly demanded by his former employers.

Insiders revealed in January that some senior members of the AM management valued the striker at around R20 million, as serious interest was being shown in the player by Chiefs and Pirates. At the time, AM CEO Sinky Mnisi, who has since been suspended by the club, took a jibe at Amakhosi in insinuating that the club didn’t want to pay what the KZN club valued the player at.

Mnisi told the SABC’s Munghana Lonene FM at the time, in part, “We have never been approached, it was only this week, where the agent said Kaizer Chiefs were interested, that was it, and we are not going to budge. If they want Letsoalo, they must bring the money that we want. No money, no deal, that’s all.

“Victor is a Rolls-Royce. If you want a Rolls-Royce, you must pay the money the Rolls-Royce is worth. Don’t come and say you want a Rolls-Royce, but you want to pay the money the Mazda 323 is worth.”

In the end, the striker signed for Babina Noko and according to well-placed sources, both the player and his camp are happy with the deal as a potential move to Chiefs from Sekhukhune in future would be easier than if he was still at AM.

At 29, Letsoalo does realise that he doesn’t have much time left to make his dream move and is planning to use the first half of the season to hit the ground running and continue where he left off by scoring goals, after he finished the previous campaign with 15 strikes and two assists in the league.

In addition, the player’s handlers are aware of his ambition and are keen to deliver as per his wish.

While the Chiefs move is unlikely to happen in the current transfer window, Letsoalo could still realise his dream in January, or the end of the season, and will be working towards achieving that goal.

The burly forward knows that a move to Naturena would boost his chances of cementing his place in the Bafana Bafana squad after the national team coach, Hugo Broos, questioned his quality when he dropped him last month for the game against Morocco.

A big-money deal will be at the back of his head too. Like any player, Letsoalo will be tempted by the opportunity of a last bigmoney contract in his professional career and will know that there is a high probability of that happening at Naturena.