Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena has revealed that Bongani Zungu’s signing was a “complicated deal” and also explained their transfer approach.
Zungu recently puts pen to paper as a free agent after his contract with the French side Amiens SC came to an end.
The 29-year-old footballer marks his return to Chloorkop after leaving the club in 2016 to join Guimarães B in Europe.
Now, the co-coach has spoken of his returnee midfield maestro for the first time. It seems Mokwena is equally enthusiastic about working with the Bafana Bafana international.
When the 35-year-old mentor was asked about Zungu’s homecoming, he said: “It’s a complicated deal. It took very long. I want to thank Bongani for his patience and trust because he had other offers, and he chose to come to us,” Mokwena told Downs’ media.
“He was very patient, even more lucrative than we had thrown, but sometimes it helps when there are very good relations between the coaches and the player because their desire to come and work with the coaches and to be part of the setup helps.
“I want to thank Bongani and his family for the support that they gave him in trying to make sure that he chose us instead of the other options that they had, and we are just excited that the club has made that decision to support in bringing ‘Bongz’ here.
“We are looking forward to him coming into the team and competing for a position which will be very difficult. We’ve got very good players in Bongani Zungu’s position, and then he’s also a very, very good player that makes the competition even stronger.”
The ex-Rangers man had scored nine goals in over 100 appearances for the Brazilians before he left the club to play internationally.
Mokwena went on to shed more light on the general transfer approach at Sundowns this transfer window, citing that they are looking for quality additions rather than just anybody to fill roles as they have added the likes of Bafana Bafana skipper Ronwen Williams, Sipho Mbule and Ethiopian frontman Abubeker Nassir.
Masandawana will lock horns with Sekhukhune United on Saturday, 20 August, in the DStv Premiership clash at Peter Mokaba Stadium. The kick-off is at 15:00 in the afternoon.
