SuperSport may cling to Mokoena for a while

If the South African transfer market was transparent, much like leagues abroad, SuperSport United’s Teboho Mokoena’s price tag would rank among the highest in the Premier Soccer League.

Matsatsantsa A Pitori, who are in action against Baroka FC in the DStv Premiership today, have done their best to hold on to the Bafana Bafana international, but United chief executive officer, Stanley Matthews says it is almost time to let go of the 24-year-old.

Mokoena (below) has been linked with moves to Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns in the most recent transfer window, but Matthews, not in so many words, has suggested that Mokoena is most likely to leave SuperSport at the end of the season.

“We know when to let go of our players and make the dollars. I think a player like Teboho, if you ask me, won’t be at the club next year,” said Matthews yesterday, in conversation with the South African Football Journalists Association.

“He, myself and the chairman Khulu Sibiya had a chat and we have paved a way on how we see him leaving the club, because he has a number of options in front of him at the moment. But we are going to be with him every step of the way in making sure that when he does leave the club, it will be at a time that is good for us,” Matthews added.

The Pretoria side have not invested heavily this season, having only brought in Buhle Mkhwanazi.

Matthews says the reason is that players are often overpriced and United are not willing to dig deep into their pockets, instead investing a lot in their academy players.

“We have sold players to Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Sundowns for the last 20 years and that’s part-and-parcel of the game. We know when it is time to let certain players go.

“We are not going to see dramatic movements in the market because the market is really crazy and there are only a couple of clubs that can play in that space – we are not one of them and we don’t want to be one of them,” added the SuperSport United CEO.