Stellenbosch FC midfielder Sibongiseni Mthethwa has responded to transfer talk, saying even though he is “fully focussed” on his current club he still wants to reach “another level”.
Mthethwa has been rumoured to have caught attention of many teams, including the big three in Gauteng after a great season with Stellies last term.
The KwaZulu-Natal-born midfielder was part of the big furniture as the Stellenbosch club finished sixth in the DStv Premiership, starting 28 of his 29 league matches in the side.
The 28-year-old featured in 34 matches in all competitions, including four in the Nedbank Cup, where they lost in the semi-final to Sekhukhune United after a stunning win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the quarter-finals.
He said he would want to test himself at a higher level, even though no club has contacted him directly.
“As a person, you wouldn’t want to relax and say ‘since I have done this, it is enough’. All the time you need to move on to another level,” said Mthethwa in Durban during the COSAFA Cup, where Bafana makeshift squad claimed the bronze medal by beating Malawi on penalties on Sunday.
“I think there’ll always be links and conversations [during this time of the transfer window] but I’m not able to say whether I’ve been contacted because no one has come and said to me they want me.
“Maybe the conversations are happening with my agent or the club but I’m just fully focused on putting in the work at the moment.”
As Mthethwa’s game has become noticeable, he was called up the Bafana Bafana squad by head coach Hugo Broos in the friendly matches against Sierra Leone and Botswana respectively last year.
Ox was also part of the COSAFA Cup squad in his home province in KwaZulu-Natal, featuring in all five matches under stand-in coach Morena Ramoreboli.
The former Black Leopards midfielder, who joined Stellies ahead of the 2021/22 season, feels he’s on the right path in his career based on the recent call-ups to the national team.
“It shows that there is something good I’m doing that other people are liking, that can help other teams or the national team,” replied Mthethwa to iDiski Times.
“That shows dedication and devotion at all times from my side.”
