Unluckily for Pitso, signing stars comes at a price

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane’s challenge of filling three vacant slots in his Caf Champions League squad has not been made easier by the price tags he is confronted with in his bid to recruit reinforcements to Chloorkop.

Recent Absa Premiership winners Mogakolodi Ngele and Cuthbert Malajila – who are believed to have returned to Downs from a season-long loan at Bidvest Wits – are ineligible to form part of Mosimane’s squad as they have already represented Gavin Hunt’s side in this season’s Champions League.

“I can’t fill the three slots because the players I want cost R13 million, so what can I do? If you come to my team, no one costs R13 million,” he lamented.

“Unfortunately some of the players want to play for us and they want to play at this level because you are no longer 18 or 19, you are between 26 and 28 … you need to play in the Champions League.”

Mosimane is a known admirer of PSL Footballer-of-the-Season Lebogang Manyama, 26, of Cape Town City. He says players in his age group should consider making sacrifices to achieve greater heights.

“If you remember well, Cesc Fabregas left Arsenal for Barcelona because he said he wanted to play in the Uefa Champions League. He said he wanted to play in the Super Cup and he wanted to go to the Fifa Club World Cup. He also said he wanted to win the league and he wanted to play with Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta.

“He even took a pay cut at Barcelona. I am not saying people must take pay cuts, but you can retire and you have never had a chance to win the African gold medal. It is not only about the African medal, but you can get an opportunity to play for Bafana Bafana.”