Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has confirmed the signing of Portuguese midfielder Miguel Reisinho while also sharing his impressions on the club’s other new signings are settling in.
Cardoso’s troops recently welcomed two new signings from prominent leagues abroad. South African midfielder Tsiki Ntsabeleng returned home to join Masandawana from MLS side FC Dallas on loan.
A deadline-day signing saw the Tshwane giants welcome another skilled attacker, Nuno Santos. The latter was poached from Liga Portugal side Vitoria Guimaraes SC.
But Sundowns’ July/September transfer window was unusually quiet, with the club bringing in only three new players. One of them, Khulumani Ndamane, was even loaned straight back to TS Galaxy FC, the club he was acquired from, in a deal that was never officially announced by Sundowns.
In Wednesday’s surprising 1-0 loss to Golden Arrows, head coach Miguel Cardoso gave two of his new signings their debuts. Nuno and Ntsabeleng were introduced as second-half substitutes, but their first appearances came during the club’s first defeat of the season.
Following the match, Cardoso shared his impressions on the new players, stating there was “no major talking point behind their performances.”
“The new players, they did their best. There is nothing to point out, I think. We brought Nuno, dropping Marcelo [Allende], to bring more creativity with Marcelo dropping a bit lower and close to Teboho [Mokoena]. I think nothing to say, Nuno entered very well.”
CARDOSO PROVIDES UPDATE ON REINSINHO
Meanwhile following reports from Portugal, Sundowns coach Cardoso has confirmed that the club is indeed expecting a new arrival.
Addressing the media after the Arrow defeats, the Sundowns gaffer announced that midfielder Miguel Reisinho is set to be officially unveiled by the club within the next few days.
“In the next one or two days, we will understand it, but we said that we needed to reinforce the team. It was clear that we needed to reinforce the team in the front,” declared Cardoso.
Reisinho, a free agent who previously played in the Portuguese top-flight, will join Sundowns on a free transfer after parting ways with Liga Portugal side Boavista at the end of last season.
Cardoso emphasised the rarity of such a deal, highlighting the difficulty in bringing top European talent to a South African club.
“It was hard work. It was tough until the last moment because these types of players that have such quality are not easy to find,” Cardoso added. “By history, you know that there’s no history of players coming from Europe at such a level and entering South Africa. Even the market in Africa is so difficult.”
He concluded with optimism: “Let’s see if we can finalise it, and I think everything is in order to allow us to announce him. Together with Nuno and the players that we have, and the ones that went to the World Cup.
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