Why Jampies snubbed Bucs and Amakhosi

BLOEMFONTEIN Celtic’s new recruit Cheslyn Jampies could have easily signed for Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates.

The 26-year-old former Jomo Cosmos defender was the subject of interest from at least five clubs – Celtic, Chiefs, Pirates, Golden Arrows and Polokwane City.

Jampies opted for a move to Bloemfontein on a two-year deal.

“There were big teams after me, but I also need to be realistic about where I will play. I feel I’ve made the right choice,” said the Cape Town-born defender.

“If you look at Chiefs, they renewed [Tsepo] Masilela’s contract and they now have Sibusiso Khumalo. If you look at Pirates, they’ve got [Thabo] Matlaba and [Patrick] Phungwayo. You know, it is a bit tough. I’m always up for challenges and fighting for my position as a player, but I feel that Celtic is a good move for me. I’m not saying I’m guaranteed a place at Celtic.

“I’ve seen other colleagues that also made moves [to the big clubs] and didn’t get time to play. For me as a player, I need to be wise.”

Jampies, who was called up to the Bafana Bafana squad that played back-to-back 2017 Afcon qualifiers against Cameroon, admitted that Celtic coach Serame Letsoaka was convincing when they spoke on the phone.

“The first thing that came out of his mouth was, ‘we want to win things this year’ and one of my biggest goals is to win silverware, and right there and then, I decided that Celtic is where I’m going.

“You can see that this is a train that’s gonna be hard to stop. It’s gonna take off in a very big way,” he bragged.

Jampies also expressed gratitude to Cosmos boss Jomo Sono, who he felt has helped him to take his career to a new level.

“I had the opportunity to be coached by one of the best in the country, Mr Sono and I feel that I’ve learnt a lot in one year with him. Some coaches take five years to teach you a few things, but it was different with him. I want to wish Cosmos a good season.”