Rulani Mokwena admits Mamelodi Sundowns weren’t in the market for a left-back, but when a special player like Sifiso Ngobeni is available, the club had to act.
The Mamelodi-born left back has been a stand out player for Bloemfontein Celtic over the past two seasons, and was recently a key member of the Bafana Bafana team that won the Cosafa Cup in Gqeberha.
Mokwena says Ngobeni has so much potential, and ticks all the boxes, and just as importantly, he is someone who grew up a Sundowns supporter.
“Ja, Sifiso is encouraging, an exciting prospect, one that we had to go into the market,” Mokwena told Sundowns’ media department.
“We felt it was not a position, at left-back, that we felt the need really to strengthen further, but there are certain things that you’ve got to do in the market, and when very good players, like Sifiso with such a huge vacuum of potential you then have to jump into the market.
“And also because you don’t always find players that tick certain boxes from a physical perspective, he fits the profile of a full-back that we need – speed, speed endurance in fact, and the the capacity to go progressively and consistently down the line.
“And projects himself very well into the final third and you saw even at Celtic, when they played with a back three most of the time, and they used them as a wing-back, how effective the left channel of Bloemfontein Celtic was, and he has that quality to find the final third cross and the pass inside the final third to create chances.
“Defensively he’s got the hunger, and okay of course, still a lot of work to do and to improve, but we are excited about his profile as a player and his personality.
“And more than that he is a boy from Mamelodi, he is a boy that can relate to the history of this club, the emotional connotations that are attached to being not just a Sundowns player but a Sundowns supporter.
“We feel we’ve struck gold with bringing Sifiso but definitely one that we look forward to investing in and helping to coach, and to develop and to try and help him to reach his full potential so that he can be the player that we think he will be for Mamelodi Sundowns.”
