Despite being unwilling to let go of young talent, SuperSport United sold the starlet Thapelo Maseko to Mamelodi Sundowns this season and the club’s CEO Stan Matthews has explained the transfer.
The 21-year-old winger, Maseko made a switch to the crosstown rivals, Sundowns who have developed a good relationship with SuperSport in the transfer market over the years.
There have been several transfers between the two clubs in the recent seasons with more Spartans becoming the Brazilians. Some were at a young age like Teboho Mokoena, Sipho Mbule, Aubrey Modiba and Maseko.
Before the start of this campaign, it seemed like things would change with the Matsatsantsa’s hierarchy having indicated that they wouldn’t “let the players go easily”.
While Maseko had been earmarked for a European move which the club would profit from, SuperSport ended up selling the dribbling wizard to the local club Sundowns.
Matthews says this was because he knew they would promote the teenage sensation Shandre Campbell who was still in Matric. The SuperSport United academy product has made a significant impact since he joined the first team at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
STAN MATTHEWS EXPLAINS THE TRANSFER OF THAPELO MASEKO TO SUNDOWNS
“I’m in a situation where the guys have been in a tough start of the season with the African travels but yet they still being solid with the young players that are still learning and growing,” said Matthews in an interview with FARPost.
“We don’t wanna just let players go so easily from the team that we have now. But I could let Maseko because I knew Shandre [Campbell] was coming, it was just six months, I had to wait for him to finish the school.
“But there’s not a lot of players in that situation at the club…if I let them go now, what I’m going to replace them with?”
Not only Campbell has tasted professional football for the first time this season but also a handful of players that Gavin Hunt gave promotions to.
Ime Okon, who was promoted this season, has gone on to train with the Danish giants FC Midtjylland, who are interested in signing him. However, he has come back to rejoin Hunt’s men as they prepare for the second round.
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