Marumo Gallants coach Alexandre Lafitte has offered a hint into the club’s plans for the 2026 January transfer window, revealing an interesting outlook as he weighs his available options.
On Saturday, Lafitte’s troops suffered a slender 1-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates in the Carling Knockout Cup final at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
The Buccaneers found the winner courtesy of Relebohile Mofokeng. A 105th minute deflected shot was enough to see Gallants miss out on silverware after extra time.
And as a result of the defeat, Gallants have also now failed to seal a victory in open play for the sixth consecutive match in all competitions.
Despite their impressive run to the cup final, Bahlabane Ba Ntwa are currently facing a worrying regression in league form, sitting in 12th position and just four points above the bottom two relegation spots.
Following the cup defeat, coach Lafitte addressed the media for his final press conference of the year 2025. The Gallants gaffer offered insight into the club’s plans for the AFCON break and dropped a hint about the upcoming January transfer window, expressing uncertainty about strengthening the squad with new signings.
“I believe in my team and my players honestly and we continue to work,” Lafitte stated. “So, we work with the president to improve the team and continue to improve step by step. But I am not sure if recruitment is possible.”
LAFITTE HINTS AT NO JANUARY SIGNINGS FOR STRUGGLING MARUMO GALLANTS
In the beginning of the season, the Bloemfontein club made several key acquisitions that have since proven to be a revelation to their arsenal.
Midfielder Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo, a noticeable new addition, has been particularly impactful since returning to his former club after a three-year stint at Pirates. The 30-year-old has already made 15 appearances, contributing five goals in all competitions.
Despite acknowledging the slim chances of adding new players in January, coach Lafitte revealed his strong intention to stick with his current squad, placing faith in the players he brought in earlier whom he believes have significantly strengthened the team.
“The most important thing is to continue to work with the same team because I know this team,” Lafitte stated
“Notably, when I started in August, I did not have [Philip], Katlego Otladisa, [or] Bance Ibrahim. So, step by step we built a good team.”
The French mentor identified specific areas for improvement, banking on internal development as an alternative to external recruitment for the second half of the season.
The 28-year-old coach added that the immediate challenge is two-fold: “The challenge is to improve notably offensively but it is also important to improve the substitutes because if 22 players are the same level, we can push and have different solutions.”
With the league scheduled to resume latter in January 2026, Lafitte now has the AFCON break period to implement his plans and strengthen the squad for what will be a crucial second half of the season.
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