Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler has stressed on how the market has shifted which previously proved challenging for them being able to purchase Angolan players.
The current transfer window has seen former Petro Luanda trio Gilberto sign for Pirates, Carlinhos joining the Citizens and Inácio Miguel moving to Kaizer Chiefs.
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Tinkler explained that it is a new trend to see players moving from the Angolan Girabola to the PSL, something that has changed compared to the past. He made an example of his time at Pirates where they wanted players from Angola but couldn’t get them because of their salaries, as well as how they could not afford to buy Gilberto at City and how Mamelodi Sundowns can easily buy players from any corner of the world.
“I know for a fact that even when I was at Pirates, we were chasing players from Angola,” Tinkler told the media during an MTN8 presser.
“Angola then, the markets [were] difficult to bring a player from Angola to South Africa because of the amount of money they were earning there.
“So, I think that the market has changed. So, it opened the window for those players now to leave Angola to come to South Africa, where they can earn more than what they’re earning in Angola. In the past, it wasn’t like that.
“I can tell you, for example, Gilberto, and just to show you how quickly this changed, two seasons ago, when we played in the Champions League, we wanted to sign him already, but we couldn’t afford him.
“So, obviously things in those markets change, which then opens up opportunities also, but that’s our reality.
“Sundowns’ reality versus ours is chalk and cheese. They can get anybody from any part of the world. We can’t do that,” Tinkler added.
Tinkler is currently preparing his charges for the MTN8 first-leg semifinal clash against Pirates on Tuesday, August 27.
