What the Siya crew has been told…

When Manqoba Mngqithi revealed that Mamelodi Sundowns missed out on the signings of Luis Diaz and Vinicius Junior, it became a huge topic with South Africa supporters, with some on social media finding it hard to believe the statements made by the coach.

But the Tshwane giants have taken their scouting to a whole new level, and the amount of time and energy that has gone into identifying talent playing in South America cannot be taken for granted.

Sundowns have an entire team working on scouting talent in South America and it’s evident in how they managed to acquire the services of 23-year-old Chilean attacker Marcelo Allende, who was on the books of Arsenal in his youth days. It says a lot about the pulling power Sundowns currently have, but it must be stated that the job of convincing the players to take a chance on Africa is easier said than done.

There is a long list of South American players the Chloorkopbased side have identified in the past and others have ended up in

Europe where there are, of course, many more opportunities to play in some of the biggest leagues in the world.

From what the Siya crew has gathered, Sundowns do not take any shortcuts.

While it’s easy to get onto YouTube to find a star from South America, the defending league champions put in the hard miles to ensure that they get players who are, in fact, going to fit in both on and off the pitch.

“Our guys usually go to international tournaments. It’s always been a culture that our guys go to some of the tournaments in South America, such as the Copa Libertadores. The team also follows leads, in terms of recommendations that come to us. And obviously the more you work in that space, the more you are able to establish relations from there,” an insider informed the Siya crew.

“Generally, you see that they have not struggled to settle in South Africa, as opposed to your European guys. Esrom (Nyandoro) has gone to South America. Terror (Mthiba) has gone to South America. Walter Steenbok is another one who went there during the Pitso Mosimane era. The team does not cut corners. Luis Diaz, who is at Liverpool, could have easily landed here because of this intensive, thorough, scouting process. But because of transfer figures, sometimes the players will be considered too expensive or overpriced,” added the source.

To attract players from South America, Sundowns are well aware of the fact that they also need to be able to compete at a

financial level. The club has paid big money over the years, for both transfer fees and salaries. For players coming to South Africa from that part of the world, Sundowns have to ensure that the players are paid well enough for them to be in the country with their families.

In some cases, players who have come with their families need to be the sole provider because their

partners don’t immediately find jobs in South Africa, while their children need to be taken to school as well.

This requires Sundowns to pay the players well, making it worth their while. They paid in the region of R12.5 million when they signed Bolivian international Erwin Saavedra, who was playing for one of the giants in the country, Bolivar. The Tshwane giants are believed

to have paid $3 million (R51 million) for Allende, as reported by media in Uruguay, where the attacking midfielder was playing his football. At Allende’s age, the club has potential of selling him at a higher price in future, should there be interest coming from Europe. Champions League football would expose Allende to European scouts and it would add to his value if he is to perform well for the DStv Premiership champions.

The Siya crew has done some research on a salary the average player would earn in South America, which is around $6000 (R103 500). There are those who earn more than this, but the average is believed to be around $6000. According to information received, South American players who come to South Africa can earn two or three times more than what they were previously earning, with a player like Leonardo Castro having reportedly been on close to R4 million in his last contract in SA.